


Eddie Kaspbrak please let me Check You Out

by orphan_account



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Abuse, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Angst, Christmas, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Jealous Eddie Kaspbrak, Jealous Richie Tozier, Library, M/M, Oblivious Eddie Kaspbrak, Oblivious Richie Tozier, Pining, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, Texting, richie is eddie trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-01-02 16:33:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 55,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21164708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Richie meets Eddie at the university library and instantly falls In Love. Too bad Eddie seems to hate his guts. Haha... unless?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the library/college AU nobody asked for. Featuring feisty lil Eddie and in LOOOVEEE richie. Not edited. I literally came up with this idea today and wrote it at a coffeeshop where I was supposed to be doing my homework. I'm Reddie Trash with a capital T. Enjoy!
> 
> 4/17/20 update: i hate this fic so much. genuinely, i despise this fic, but i can't bring myself to orphan it or delete it off ao3 completely so i have instead put the "lock" on it so only registered users can read. proceed with caution. it's not my finest work.
> 
> 8/7/20 update: orphaning this 

_“Richie, p-puh-please, I’m begging you.”_

That was how all of this had started. He blamed Bill _completely._

Bill had refused to go to the library for the 3rd day in a row despite the fact that it was Thursday now and he needed the book for his essay that was due _tomorrow_. 

_“Why can’t you just go?” Richie had whined while digging through the pile of dirty clothes on his floor for something suitable to wear._

_“B-because I made a complete fool of myself in f-fr-front of S-Stan and I can’t f-face him!”_

_“What the fuck did you do, Big Bill?”_

_There was a slight pause before Bill admitted in a small voice, “I m-may have accidentally dropped a-about th-th-thirty books on him.”_

Richie had laughed so hard he fell backwards into his pile of laundry. _“How in the flying frick did you manage to do that?”_

_Bill stared at him unamused. “He was sh-shelving books w-when I tripped a-and fell into his cart. I’m p-pr-pretty sure all the books th-that fell on him were hard c-c-covers.” He looked away with a wince and cleared his throat. “So that’s why I need you to go to th-the library. Please Richie.”_

Bill had turned his puppy dog eyes on him then and Richie knew he was going to say yes because _god damnit_ Bill Denbrough’s puppy dog eyes were a hard thing to say no to. So with a sigh, Richie had pushed himself off the floor, grabbed his jacket that was hanging off the hook behind their door, and yelled in a poor imitation of an English man, _“Alright Billiam, but I expect all my laundry to be done by the time I come back! Pip pip cheerio!”_

_“I-It’ll take me a w-w-week just to get through your d-dirty underwear alone Tr-trashmouth!” _Bill had yelled back, but Richie was already halfway down the hall whistling to himself. And now here he was. In the library. Hiding behind a row of books because standing behind the counter not even 10 feet away was not Stan the Man, but a different boy. The most beautiful boy Richard Tozier had ever seen in his 19 years of life. 

The boy was short. And not just because Richie was towering over most of his peers anyways standing at 6’2. The boy had to be 5’6 _at most._ He was wearing a baby pink sweater that seemed to be about two sizes too big on him and Richie couldn’t help but stare in adoration. _SO CUTE. _He had soft looking brown hair that curled slightly at the base of his neck and even softer looking big, brown eyes that were currently settled on Richie and _oh shit._ He quickly ducked his head like the absolute MORON he was and accidentally hit his forehead on the spine of a book sticking out in his haste to get down. 

“Fuck nuts that hurt like a buttcheek on a stick,” he growled as he rubbed his forehead. 

“Um.”

Richie whipped his head up so fast it was almost comical. Standing there in all of his 5’6 glory was pink sweater wearing soft boy staring down at him with a confused, but amused expression on his face.

“Was there something I could help you with?” Soft boy asked in a polite voice.

Before Richie knew what he was doing, his traitorous mouth blurted “No, but there’s something that I could help _you_ with,” and added a wink for good measure.

Soft boy wrinkled his nose in confusion. “What? That doesn’t even make sense.”

“_You_ won’t be making sense when you’re screaming my name tonight,” Richie said with another wink, and yeah, that wasn’t one of his best lines, but soft boy was even cuter up close and Richie was nervous and when Richie got nervous, he had absolutely zero filter on his mouth. “What’s your name, cutie?” He asked as he pushed himself off the floor and _holy shit _Richie was towering over this guy. He fixed his glasses and stared at him expectantly, but to his horror, Soft Boy didn’t look so soft anymore and instead looked murderous.

“Fuck off, asshole,” he whispered hotly, because oh yeah, they were in a library. “Did Bev put you up to this? Huh? I’m going to fucking murder her.” He turned around with a huff and Richie lunged forward to grab soft boy’s wrist before he could take another step. 

“Wait, what? No! Who’s Bev?” He paused as he racked his brain. “Wait — you don’t mean Bev as in Beverly Marsh, right?”

Soft boy was glowering at him now. “Fuck. You.” He ground out. “And fuck her too. I don’t know what game you guys are playing, but it’s not funny so fuck off.” And with that, he yanked his wrist out from under Richie’s grip and stormed back to the front counter before Richie could get another word in.

Richie could do nothing but stand there and stare at his retreating back in confusion.

———————

Richie slammed open the door to his dorm and ignoring Bill’s startled expression, flopped onto his bed.

“W-w-what the f-fuck Richie, you scared the l-iving shit o-out of me.” Bill turned to see his friend’s face smashed into a pillow. “H-hey, are you okay?”

Richie just groaned and turned over so he was staring up at the ceiling. He heard Bill stand up from his desk and felt the dip in his mattress as he sat on the end of it. “Richie, what happened? Did y-you get my book?”

Richie let out another groan.” Fuck your goddamn book, Bill. I can’t show my face in the library ever again.”

“W-What? Why? W-What d-did you _do? _Please don’t t-tell me you’re banned f-fr-from the library.”

Richie sat up and glared at him. “Why do you always assume I did something? You wound me.”

Bill just stared at him unamused and Richie threw his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, fine.” He sighed and flopped back down onto his back. “Today I met my soulmate and I’m pretty sure he hates my guts, but I don’t even care Billy because I am In Love." He let out another dramatic sigh and clutched at his heart.

There was a pause. “R-richie, what.” It wasn’t even a question. 

“I said I’m in _love_, Big Bill. I saw the cutest, smallest, most ADORABLE boy in the world at the library and I want to D word him. 

“D-dick him down?”

Richie sat up and gasped in mock surprise. “NO, you horndog.” Bill let out a snort that Richie ignored. “Okay, well, yes. But first I want to d-a-t-e _date_ him," he sighed. “He was _so_ small Bill, you don’t understand. And feisty,” he added as an afterthought. “but it was sexy. I almost creamed my pants.” His eyes glazed over dreamily.

There was a small pause as Bill took in his words with a slight frown. “Small and f-f-feisty? Does this small b-boy happen t-t-to have brown hair?”

Now it was Richie’s turn to pause as he turned to stare at Bill with wide eyes. “_Yes._ Do you _know_ him?”

Bill laughed at Richie’s expression. “N-not really. I’ve just s-sp-spoken to him a f-few times at the library when I needed help. I th-th-think he’s friends w-with Stan.”

“Bill.” 

The stuttering boy looked at his friend warily. “What?”

“Big Bill, Billiam, my man. My pal. My numero uno! You know I love you, right?”

“Wh-what is it Richie just sp-spit it out.”

Richie sighed dramatically and reached forward to grab both of Bill’s hands in his. “Bill,” he repeated again. “You gotta introduce me, man, _please_.” He tried flashing his best puppy dog eyes, but his was nowhere near as good as Bill’s, and Bill, the bastard, knew it. He didn’t even look phased as he withdrew his hands and shook his head no. 

“I don’t e-Even know E-E-Eddie all that well. Sorry.” 

Richie suddenly lit up at that and his lips curved up into a wide grin. “Eddie? His name is Eddie? Oh my god even his _name_ is cute. _Eddie,_” he repeated again softly to himself. He sat there for a second more before suddenly springing off the bed startling Bill. “Hey wait!”

“W-What?” Bill asked annoyed.

Richie grabbed his abandoned backpack by the foot of his bed and started shoving random books and papers into it. “Let’s go to the library together! You can ogle Stan and I can woo Eddie! You know what they say: second time’s a charm.”

Bill sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s th-third time’s a charm. And no, we c-can’t. The l-library’s cl-closed now.” He pointed to the digital clock on his desk flashing in red: 

_9:08pm_

The library had closed 8 minutes ago.

“Damn,” Richie mumbled quietly. He set his backpack back down on the floor and flopped into Bill’s desk chair with a dramatic sigh.

Bill rolled his eyes and pushed himself off Richie’s bed. “Tomorrow. W-we can go tomorrow du-during our lunch b-b-break.” He clapped a hand on Richie’s shoulder briefly before shoo-ing him away. “N-now move. I need t-to finish this.”

Richie got up without a struggle and grinned broadly. “Tomorrow,” he repeated. He couldn’t _wait._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, not edited. sorry it's so short! writing eddie and beverly are harder than richie for me and my worst fear is making them ooc or something  
IDK hope u all enjoy

As soon as the clock struck 9pm, Eddie grabbed his bag, clocked out, and rushed out of the library. Stan could deal with closing the library by himself for just one night.

He hitched his bag higher up onto his shoulder as he pushed open the double doors with his hip and carefully made his way down the steps, cursing the whole while for the freezing air. It was only late September, yet the nights were already starting to get colder than he liked. With a huff, he pulled the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands and quickened his steps towards the direction of Beverly’s dorm. He was going to _kill_ her.

When Richie Tozier, the guy he had been admiring from afar for months now, flirted with him, he knew Beverly was to blame. He had drunkenly admitted to her one night that he thought the tall, curly haired boy was cute and Beverly — curse her for being able to hold her liquor — had unfortunately not been drunk enough herself to forget his confession and teased him about it every chance she had.

“BEVERLY MARSH YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!” Finally making it to her dorm, he pounded on the door angrily, ignoring the little voice in his head saying that he sounded like his mother. “BEV!” He tried again. “BEV, LET ME IN!”

“Jesus Christ Eddie, what is it?” The redhead finally opened the door with a yawn and stood there squinting her eyes into the bright hallway light.

“I—“ Eddie paused. “Were you sleeping?” He asked incredulously.

Beverly rubbed her eyes and nodded tiredly. “Yeah, I had a pretty rough night and decided to just call it a night.”

Eddie blinked. “Um. You know it’s only like, nine o’clock right. You’re never in bed before midnight.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah shut up Kaspbrak. What do you want?” She opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing Eddie to enter the room. As soon as the door was closed, he rounded on her, pointing an accusing finger in her direction.

“Did you tell him?”

Beverly blinked in confusion. “Did I tell who what?”

“Richie!” Eddie yelled out in frustration. “Did you tell him what I told you when I was drunk?”

“What? No, Eddie of course not. I haven’t even seen him all that much lately. He’s been skipping class.” A mischievous glint made its way into her eyes as one corner of her lips pulled up into a knowing smirk. “Why? Did you guys talk?”

He stared at her through narrowed eyes. “Yes,” he hissed. “He was at the library today and he was _staring_ at me! And, and, and I don’t even know! _Flirting! _With me!” Eddie ran a hand through his hair. “He’s never paid any attention to me until today so _obviously_ you must have said something!” He threw his hands up in frustration.

Beverly just stared at him with that same annoying, amused look on her face. “I didn’t say anything to him. I told you Eddie — you’re a catch. Richie just came to that realization all on his own. I totally swear I didn’t say anything.”

Eddie slumped back down into the chair, all his nervous energy suddenly dissipating. “He hit his head on a shelf,” he mumbled after a moment.

“What?”

“I don’t even know. I looked up and saw him staring at me and suddenly he ducked his head and I heard a _thunk!_ so he must’ve hit it on the shelf.”

Beverly let out a laugh. “God, he’s such a dumbass,” she said fondly. “Why do you like him again?”

Eddie groaned and put his head into his hands. “For the last time, I _don’t _like him. I don’t even know him! I just think he’s not as ugly as all the other guys at this school. And he seems nice,” he added in a small voice. “Not like,” he cleared his throat and stopped.

Beverly looked at him with sad eyes. “He _is_ nice,” she said kindly. “I can introdu—“

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Eddie quickly cut in. He gave her a tight lipped smile. “I’m not good around new people. You know that.”

She nodded her head in understanding. “I know Eddie, but someday you’re going to have to come out of that shell that bastard put you back in.” She gave him a sad smile that Eddie ignored. He didn’t need her sympathy. “Hey,” she said suddenly. “What are you doing tomorrow? Wanna hang? We can chill, just the two of us, and watch Halloweentown or something.”

He let out a small laugh, glad for the change in topic. “Halloweentown? It’s not even October yet.”

“There's only 3 more days until October!” She said in protest. “It’s basically already spooky month which means it is now perfectly acceptable to watch Halloween movies to our heart’s content. C’mon Kaspbrak, date night?”

“Yeah sure,” he shrugged. “I have a test in the morning, but I should be free after that.”

“You’re not working at the library tomorrow?”

“No, Stan’s training that new guy Jackson so I’m off," he said with a smile. After the events of today, he was glad to have a day off. He really didn't want to go back to the library so soon in case Richie was lurking around.

“Yes!” Bev cheered. “Time to get our spook on, bitch!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not edited again. Wrote this at work. lol what am i even doing with my life. My writing has gotten so terrible I'm so sorry, but I hope you enjoy anyways

“H-h-hey S-stan.”

The tall, lean boy looked up from the computer and smiled at Bill. “Hey Bill,” he said easily.

“Oh that was real smooth Billiam. ‘H-h-h-h-h-hey S-s-s-s-stan,” Richie mocked, not unkindly. “What are you going to do next? Drop a stack of books on him? Oh wait, you already did that.” Bill flushed red from either embarrassment or anger, Richie didn’t know.

“Hey,” Stan said with his eyebrows furrowed, looking at Richie with a frown. “That wasn’t very nice.” Bill turned to look at him gratefully and shot him a small smile.

“I-it’s okay. Richie’s just b-b-being Richie,” he said, directing his glare at the bespectacled boy. “But thank y-you,” he responded softly, turning his attention back to Stan. “A-and I’m s-s-still really sorry a-ab-about knocking those books o-on t-t-to you,” he said with a wince.

“It’s really no big deal, Bill,” Stan replied kindly with a hint of an amused smile.

Richie looked between the two with mock disgust. “Eugh. Get a room you two.” He hunched over and squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to gag. Bill, who’s cheeks had been gradually returning to its normal color, was turning red again. Stan just rolled his eyes and let out a small huff.

“Was there a reason you came up here? Other than trying to annoy me to death and distract me from my work,” he asked monotonously. He shifted his attention to Bill and asked in a much kinder voice, “Did you need me to look a book up for you?”

“N-no, but th-thanks. We actually c-c-came for Richie. Is E-Eddie around?”

Stan scrunched his nose up in confusion. “Eddie? No, it’s his day off. Why?”

Richie, who had been practically bouncing on his tip-toes, visibly deflated. “What? Where is he?” He asked.

Stan’s eyes narrowed. “How am I supposed to know? What he does in his free time is not any of my business. But even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you,” he added crisply. Crossing his arms, he eyed Richie suspiciously and asked, “How do you even know Eddie?”

Before he could even open his mouth to declare that Eddie was the love of his life,_ thank you very much,_ Bill hastily said, “H-h-he doesn’t.”

Stan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh? So you’re a stalker? I’ll be sure to let him know.”

“What? No!” Richie yelled. A few students studying at the tables nearest to them startled and glared at Richie.

“Can you keep your voice down?” Stan hissed. “We’re in a library and contrary to what you may believe, people actually do come here to study.”

“S-s-sorry,” Bill said with a wince. “C’mon R-R-Richie,” he pleaded, pulling on the taller boy’s arm. “H-he’s n-not here. We can c-c-come another t-t-time. B-buh-bye Stan,” he grunted as he tried pushing a reluctant Richie towards the exit.  
  
Richie let out a disappointed sigh. “Alright Billius, no need to push. Let’s go. ” He turned to Stan. “Pip pip cheerio, Stanley-o! ‘Till next time,” he pretended to tip his imaginary hat and Stan just stared at him unamused.

“Bye Bill, bye Trashmouth. Your English accent sucks.” And with that, Stan turned his attention back to the computer, ignoring Richie’s indignant squawk and Bill’s hushed voice telling him to _hurry up, let’s go._

———————

(1:07pm) _Stan: Richie Tozier came to the library just now_.

(1:07pm) Eddie: what

(1:08pm) _Stan: He was looking for you._

(1:08pm) Eddie: WHAT

(1:08pm) Eddie: he was looking for ME? like, me specifically?

(1:09pm) _Stan: Yes, Edward, that’s what I just said._

(1:09pm) Eddie: ok STANLEY

(1:10pm) Eddie: what did he say

(1:12pm) _Stan: Nothing really. He came with Bill and they just asked where you were. You should probably keep an eye out, I think you have a stalker_.

(1:13pm) Eddie: ha ha.

(1:13pm) Eddie: wait who’s bill?

(1:14pm) _Stan: Bill Denbrough_

(1:14pm) Eddie: oh stuttering bill?

(1:14pm) _Stan: Don’t call him that._

(1:14pm) Eddie: … i didn’t mean it in a bad way

(1:15pm) Eddie: we’re like, kinda friends-ish? idk we don’t really know each other that well but

(1:15pm) Eddie: i like him he’s nice

(1:15pm) Eddie: but why was bill asking about me?

(1:18pm) _Stan: I don’t necessarily think it was Bill that was asking about you. He was asking more for Richie._

(1:18pm) _Stan: Anything you want to tell me?_

(1:19pm) Eddie: did you just double text?

(1:19pm) Eddie: you never double text

(1:19pm) Eddie: double texting is my thing in this friendship

(1:21pm) _Stan: Stop trying to change the subject, Edward._

(1:21pm) Eddie: stop calling me edward STANLEY.

(1:22pm) Eddie: and no there’s nothing to tell

(1:24pm) _Stan: Oh, really? Then tell me how Richie Tozier, the guy you’ve liked for months now, suddenly knows your name and is coming to our place of work LOOKING for you._

(1:27pm) Eddie: i don’t like him

(1:27pm) Eddie: why do you and bev keep insisting i like him

(1:28pm) _Stan: Eddie._

(1:30pm) Eddie: ANYWAYS

(1:31pm) Eddie: i really don’t know why he’s looking for me ok

(1:31pm) Eddie: we talked BRIEFLY at the library yesterday

(1:32pm) Eddie: and he may have like, flirted with me. a little bit

(1:32pm) Eddie: but he was probably just doing it as a dare or playing a prank on me or something

(1:34pm) _Stan: Why do you think that?_

(1:35pm) Eddie: stan have you seen me

(1:35pm)_ Stan: Yes._

(1:35pm)_ Stan: You’re a catch, Eddie._

(1:38pm) Eddie: lol

(1:40pm) Eddie: thanks

(1:40pm) Eddie: save the flattery for bill

(1:41pm) _Stan: Fuck you._

(1:42pm) Eddie: but really thanks stan

(1:43pm) _Stan: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, Jackson’s here. I gotta go._

“Who ya texting?” Beverly asked as she stepped over him, holding a bowl of popcorn. Eddie startled and put his phone away.

“Just Stan.”

The redhead hummed noncommittally and reached behind her to grab the remote. “Does he want to join us?”

Eddie shook his head. “He’s working today. Training the new guy, remember?”

Beverly situated herself more comfortably on the floor and placed the bowl of popcorn in her lap. “Oh yeah,” she said, grabbing a handful and stuffing it into her mouth. “Jason something, right? Is he cute?” She asked through her mouthful as she waggled her eyebrows at him.

Eddie scooted away from her and eyed her open mouth with disgust. “Okay, first of all. _Ew_. That’s disgusting. And second — his name is _Jackson,_ and I don’t know. I haven’t even met him yet.” Beverly snorted and opened her mouth even wider, bringing her face closer to Eddie who let out a small shriek.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said with a laugh, scooting back into her personal space and shaking her head fondly. “You’re so cute when you act like that.”

Eddie scowled. “You’re disgusting. I don’t know how Ben puts up with you.”

The redhead just shrugged her shoulders and grabbed another handful of popcorn, grinning. “What can I say? I’m a lucky gal,” she said as she aimed the remote at the TV.

“Yeah,” Eddie said softly, more to himself than to her. “You really are.” He cleared his throat. “We’re watching Halloweentown, right?”

“Yep,” Beverly said, popping her p. “Ooooh! I’m so excited! I haven’t seen this in forever!” She squealed when the opening title flashed across the screen. “Now shhhh. Spooky time has officially begun,” she waggled her fingers and leaned back against the side of her bed.

Eddie smiled fondly at her and directed his attention to the TV, staring at it listlessly. In truth, he couldn’t focus on Halloweentown, as much as he loved it. It made him anxious and nervous to think that Richie was looking for him. He couldn’t understand _why_. If this was some cruel joke the other boy was playing on him, it wasn’t funny and Eddie wasn’t laughing. He reached into his pant pocket and gripped his inhaler. He knew he didn’t really need it, but its presence was comforting nonetheless.

Beverly’s loud laugh startled him out of his reverie and he focused back on the screen to see the talking skeleton cab driver. “I love him,” Bev commented.

“Me too,” Eddie responded quietly. She turned her head to look at him, obviously sensing his downcast mood, and Eddie quickly flashed her a small smile. No need for Beverly to know about his anxiety ridden thoughts. “Stop hogging the popcorn you pig,” he said playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

Beverly responded by throwing a handful of popcorn at him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. I am just... not happy with my writing at all. I haven't written for fun in like, 3984 years and I feel like I am so out of it. Not edited, as always. Thank you so much for all the kind comments I've gotten. I love you all

It had been exactly a week since Eddie saw Richie in the library and he was now fully convinced that the other boy had only spoken to him in the first place as a dare. Eddie was on edge the first few days after Stan had texted him about the bespectacled boy — always wondering if he was going to stride in and attempt to talk to Eddie again, but after one, two, three days passed with no sign of Richie, Eddie breathed a sigh of relief and swallowed down his white hot disappointment. His potential friendship with Richie was over before it even started.

He glanced at the clock on the wall impatiently.

_8:50pm_

Only 10 more minutes until he could close the library and get the fuck out of there. Eddie glanced around at the empty library and sighed. Even though there was nobody in here, he wasn’t allowed to shut the doors until it was the “official” closing time. With a resigned sigh, he walked out from behind the center and set out to get an early start on his closing duties.

He had just been walking through the last aisle of books when he heard the chime of the door indicating that someone had walked into the library. He checked his watch. 8:58pm.

“Who the fuck?”

With a scowl, he stormed to the front counter, fully intending on kicking out whoever it was that had come in with only TWO minutes till close, only to stop dead in his tracks. There, by the counter with wild hair and crooked glasses, stood Richie Tozier.

———————

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck,_” Richie mumbled under his breath like a mantra as he sped walked across campus to get to the library. He had been planning on getting there hours ago, but had accidentally fallen asleep while doing his homework. He couldn’t help it. It was so_ boring_ and he already knew half the things he was meant to be learning anyways.

He took the steps two at a time and paused for a moment when he reached the top to catch his breath. Wiping off the thin band of sweat that was lining his forehead, he roughly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger before yanking the door open to the library.

He didn’t see anybody at first. But then he heard a muffled voice and expectantly turned his head to the direction of the noise. After a few seconds, he saw Soft Boy, _Eddie_, storm out from near the back of the library and suddenly stop as he looked up at Richie with wide eyes._ Cute, cute, cute._ Richie couldn’t help but think to himself. He grinned broadly.

“Eddie! My man! We meet again!”

Eddie scowled. “We’re closed— Wait how do you know my name?” He asked with a frown.

Richie pointedly directed his gaze to the clock that hung on the wall behind the front counter. “Actually,” he said in a nasally voice, “it’s 8:58. Which means, Eds, that the library is open for another two minutes! We can get a lot of shit done in two minutes if you know what I mean,” he said with a wink looking pleased with himself.

Eddie’s frown got deeper. “That’s not my name, asshole,” he said, pointedly ignoring the last half of Richie’s comment.

Richie tilted his head with a look of mock innocence and confusion before bringing one finger up to scratch at his head. “Well which is it good sir? Is Eddie your name or not?”

Eddie threw his hands in the air in frustration. “God, you’re fucking impossible. You know what? I don’t even care how you got my name. _Yes_, my name is Eddie_. No_, my name is not Eds, so don’t call me that, fuckface. Now leave me alone and get the fuck out.” He angrily pointed at the clock and mocked in the same nasally tone as Richie had adorned before, “It’s 9:01 now which means the library is officially CLOSED.” He crossed his arms and huffed, trying to look as intimidating as possible, which only made Richie’s smile grow wider and step forward to pinch Eddie’s cheek.

“Aw, you’re so cute when you’re mad Eds,” he cooed. Eddie angrily slapped his hand away and took a hurried step back.

“Don’t fucking touch me you— you, turd brain!” He winced at the insult. _Turd brain? What are you? Thirteen? _“Oh my god. When was the last time you washed your hands? Fuck, what the _fuck._ Who the fuck goes around and touches strangers faces? Ever heard of personal space?”

Richie let out a loud laugh and took another step closer which only served to make Eddie angrier. He ignored the tall boy and twisted slightly so that his back was partially to Richie. He pulled his oversized sweatshirt up to reveal his fanny pack. Unzipping it as stealthily as he could, he grabbed the small bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted a generous amount into his hands.

“Is that—“ Richie cleared his throat. “Are you wearing a fucking fanny pack?”

Eddie glared at him. “Yeah? So what, asshole?” He asked as he viciously scrubbed his cheek with the sanitizer.

Richie just continued to silently stare at him and Eddie, inexplicably, started to blush under the other boy’s unwavering gaze. “What?” Eddie repeated, now a little self-consciously. He knew wearing a fanny pack was dorky, but they were handy and held everything he needed. Besides, the majority of the time it was hidden by his oversized clothing anyways.

“How are you even real?”

“What?” Eddie repeated for the third time.

“Jesus _fuck_, you’re so cute Eds. I think I’m like, halfway in love with you.”

Eddie flushed an even darker shade of red. “Shut the fuck up, dipshit, you don’t even know me.”

“Let’s change that,” he grinned as he held one hand out. “Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier at your service.” He pretended to curtsy and Eddie tried not to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Instead he sighed and rubbed one hand down his newly sanitized face.

“Great. I really don’t care. Now that introductions are over, can you leave? I’m tired as fuck and still have to finish closing this place up.”

“I’ll help!” Richie said happily. “Anything to spend more time with my lil Eds!”

Eddie scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

Richie, surprisingly, just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Okay.”

“…Okay?” Eddie asked warily.

“Yeah. Okay. Eds is overrated anyway. I’ll call you…” Richie paused dramatically and pretended to drumroll in the air. “Eddie Spaghetti!” He smiled widely and held his arms out in a ‘ta-da!’ sort of motion.

Eddie groaned. “What the fuck? No. Fuck you. Get out of the library before I call campus police on you for trespassing.”

Richie clutched at his heart and staggered backwards. “Ouch Spaghetti-Man, you wound me.”

Eddie scowled, now fully annoyed with the other boy. It was well past 9 now and he was tired and just wanted to curl up in bed. “I’m serious, Richie. Get the fuck out. I want to go home.”

Richie straightened up and held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’ll leave you to it.” He spun on his heel and Eddie thought for one split second that the other boy was actually going to leave, but before he could even express his surprise, Richie just spun right back around and faced Eddie with a shit eating grin on his face. “When do you work next?” He asked as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

“What? Why would I tell you that? So you can come back and annoy me to death? Yeah, no thanks. I’m too young to die.”

Richie barked out another laugh and Eddie pretended not to feel affected by the other boy’s warm laughter.

“Aw c’mon,” Richie whined. “I thought we were starting to become friends! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell—“

“Argh, okay!” Eddie squished his hands up against his ears. “Fine, you annoying fucker! I work tomorrow. Okay? Now shut the fuck up and leave.”

Richie bounced on his toes and smiled so wide Eddie thought his face would rip in two. “Tomorrow?_ Sweet._ I’ll see you then, Spaghetti. Don’t miss me too much,” he said with a wink before _finally_ leaving, but not before turning around one last time to blow an over exaggerated kiss to Eddie.

Eddie stood there with his cheeks flaming and when Richie was finally out of sight, let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head incredulously before heading back to finish up his closing duties. _What. The fuck._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo hoo! a longer chapter! hope u guys enjoy and as always, thank you for the kind comments <3

True to his word, Richie came back the next day. And then the next, and the next, and the next. Soon, two weeks had passed and at this point, Richie was practically living in the library.

“EDDIE SPAGHETTI!” Richie shouted boisterously as soon as he walked in through the double doors.

Eddie, who had been talking to Stan, startled at the loud noise even though this had become somewhat of a routine. “Jesus Christ, asshole, you scared me. And lower your fucking voice,” he hissed as he glanced furtively around at the disgruntled students who had been studiously working.

“SORRY,” Richie whisper yelled and Eddie rolled his eyes. This too, had become a routine. Richie would walk in being, well, _Richie_, and Eddie would pretend to scold him. _That’s a really fucking weird way to flirt, Eddie, _Stan had said one day. Eddie had pretended not to hear him and walked away before the other boy could see the hot flush decorating his cheeks.

“Hello Stanus!”

Stan rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the back counter where he had been leaning. “I told you not to call me that. It sounds like you’re saying anus.”

Richie grinned. “That’s precisely why I’m saying it, Stanus. You catch on quick my good fellow! Youse got a mighty fine brain on you, youse do!

“Enough with the Voices, Trashmouth,” Stan deadpanned. “I don’t know how Eddie puts up with you.”

“It’s because Eddie is my spaghetti man! And he can’t hate me even if he tries!” Richie sing-songed as he reached across the counter to ruffle the smaller boy’s hair affectionately.

“Argh!” Eddie cried as he swiped at Richie’s hand. “How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my fucking hair!”

“That’s not what your mom said last night as I was pounding into her,” Richie shot back. He let out an obscene moan and rolled his hips in the air that had Eddie flushing red and Stan rolling his eyes for what seemed like the tenth time that day.

“Beep beep, Richie. It’s a library, not a porn shoot. Cut it out,” Stan said.

Richie just let out a bark of laughter in response. “But Ms. K likes it!”

“Enough with the mom jokes, fuckface,” Eddie said without any real heat. His cheeks were still flaming and he couldn’t get the sound of Richie’s moan out of his mind. Jesus Christ. This was turning into a problem.

Just then, a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he shifted his gaze to a student who was flagging him down from one of the tables. “Be right back,” Eddie mumbled, grateful to be leaving Richie for the time being.

“Wow Trashmouth.”

Richie, who had been watching Eddie’s retreating back, turned to Stan. “What?” He questioned distractedly. Even Eddie’s backside was _so cute._

The other boy said nothing for a moment, just staring at him with his arms crossed and lips set into a thin line. “Eddie,” He finally said. “You really like him, huh.” It wasn’t a question.

Richie pushed his glasses up his nose nervously and shrugged. To be completely honest, it was scaring Richie just how much he actually liked the smaller boy. At first, it was just an infatuation, but as he got to know Eddie these last few weeks, his small crush had turned into something much larger.

“Yeah,” he eventually said. “I really do.”

Stan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “No joke? No weird impression? No Voice? Wow Richie, you really do like him.”

“Like who?”

Both boys jerked their heads around to stare wide eyed at Eddie who had seemingly appeared out of thin air and was glancing back and forth between them with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“How long have you been standing there?” Stan asked at the same time as Richie said “Your mom.”

“You are so not funny, Rich,” Eddie said, ignoring Stan’s question. “Hey,” he suddenly said looking at the clock. “Didn’t you say you were supposed to meet Bill and that new kid Mike for lunch?” 

“Yeah, but I like spending time with you so much better,” Richie responded with a wink.

Eddie tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach at that and instead rolled his eyes. “Just go, asshole. It’s rude to keep people waiting.” 

“Well, your mom sa—“

“JUST GO!” Eddie half yelled, half laughed, as he pushed the taller boy in the direction of the doors. Stan just watched the two silently in both amusement and exasperation. _Idiots._

_———————_

“S-S-Sorry, I t-told R-Richie not to be l-l-late,” Bill said with a grimace.

“It’s okay,” Mike responded with a smile. “From what you’ve told me of him, I think it would be more weird if he _did_ show up on time.”

Bill laughed. “He’s p-pr-probably at the l-lib-library fl-flirting with E-E-Eddie.”

“Who’s Eddie?” Mike asked, one eyebrow raised.

“J-just a g-guy who works at th-the l-library that R-Richie has a c-cru-crush on.”

“Excuse you,” Richie said as he slid easily into the empty seat next to Bill. “Not ‘just a guy’,” he mimicked, putting air quotes around his words. “He’s the love of my life.”

Bill sighed. “S-speak of the d-d-devil. M-Mike, this is Richie. R-R-Richie, Mike.”

Richie grinned and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. “Howdy Mike! The name’s R-R-Richie. But everyone in this darn tootin’ ole’ town calls me Trashmouth,” he says in what he thought to be his best southern accent.

Bill shoves at his shoulder. “Y-you’re such an a-asshole.”

“Hey Richie Trashmouth,” Mike says easily, a big smile on his face. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Richie throws him finger guns in response before turning his attention to Bill. “Soooooo,” he says nonchalantly. “You guys mentioned Eddie?”

Bill snorts into his drink as Mike chuckles, shaking his head. “R-real sm-smooth.”

“What?” Richie asks, feigning innocence.

“Damn, I just met you and already I can see how much you like this “Eddie” guy.”

“Y-you guys m-me-mentioned Eddie?’” Bill mocks, pitching his voice higher in a purposely poor imitation of Richie. “You a-ar-aren’t subtle at a-all.”

“Oh and you are? Richie shoots back. “R-Richie, did Stan say anything to you about me? Sh-Should I go with you to the library this time? R-Richieeee,” he mocks, not unkindly. “I l-love Stan. I want to have babies with S-Stan. Stan, Stan, Stan!” He grabs Bill’s shoulders and leans into his face, puckering his lips and squinting his eyes.

Bill, with his cheeks a dark red color, tries to shove him off as Mike laughs raucously. “F-f-fuck you, T-Tozier.”

“Oooooh, puling out the surrnames huh?” He jokes, finally sitting back. “Scary.” He pretends to shudder.

Mike, who had been watching the exchange in amusement, wipes his tears and says,“Bill was just telling me about your crush on Eddie. You gonna make a move?” He asks through another small bubble of laughter.

Richie groans and drops his head into his hands. “I’ve been flirting with him _nonstop_, but either he doesn’t realize or he just hates me.”

“Th-that’s not it,” Bill says, shaking his head, his face finally back to its natural pallor. “M-m-maybe he th-thinks you’re j-just j-jo-joking?”

“What? Why would he think that?”

Bill just arches an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, _fine, _so maybe I do joke around a whole lot, but I’m serious when it comes to him Bill.” He pauses for a second and admits in a smaller voice, “I’ve never liked someone this much before.”

“Then show him, buddy,” Mike says with Bill nodding his head in agreement.

“J-j-just ask h-him out _w-wi-without_ cracking a j-jo-joke.” Bill pauses for a moment, brows furrowed as he thinks carefully. “A-actually, I d-do-don’t th-think that’s even p-possible.”

Richie just flips him the bird and lets out another groan in response.

———————

Eddie was in Deep Shit. The more time he spent with Richie, the more his simple attraction to the other boy was turning into something deeper. At first, Eddie couldn’t believe that someone so attractive was so _annoying. _The terrible impressions, the horrible puns, _oh god,_ the _mom jokes— _Eddie hated it all. But as time passed and Richie started coming into the library more and more, Eddie couldn’t help but feel endeared by it all. He’s never had so much fun bickering back and forth with another person before and he felt elated. Beverly and Stan were going to give him so much shit when they find out.

Speaking of Stan, Eddie couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation between Richie and Stan he had overheard earlier that day. Richie liked someone? _Who? _Stan had said ‘You really do like _him’ _which meant that Richie was most definitely gay. Or bi. He tried not to get too excited at the thought. Eddie had his suspicions, what with all the flirting Richie was doing with him, but it was different to have those suspicions confirmed.

He couldn’t take it any longer. He _had_ to know what they were talking about. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through his messages before finding his and Stan’s text thread.

(7:14pm) Eddie: stan

(7:18pm)_ Stan: What?_

(7:18pm) Eddie: what were you and richie talking about earlier

(7:19pm) _Stan: When?_

(7:19pm) Eddie: ugh don’t play dumb

(7:20pm) Eddie: in the library when i walked up to you guys

(7:20pm) Eddie: you said to him “you really do like him”

(7:20pm) Eddie: does richie like someone?

(7:22pm) _Stan: Would you care if he did?_

(7:22pm) Eddie: no

(7:23pm) Eddie: ok yes

(7:23pm) Eddie: i would care very much

(7:25pm) Eddie: do u know who it is??

(7:26pm) Eddie: the guy he likes

(7:36pm) Eddie: hello?

(7:39pm) Eddie: ugh sorry im texting so much… im just… rly nervous for some reason

(7:41pm) _Stan: Sorry. I’m still working because Jackson is still having trouble navigating the search function on the computers so I’m training him. Even though I already did. Thoroughly. Two weeks ago._

(7:41pm) Eddie: wow he’s still not trained?

(7:42pm) Eddie: i bet if i trained him he would already be a pro at everything

(7:44pm) _Stan: Fuck off. It’s just this one thing he’s having trouble with._

(7:45pm) _Stan: And to answer your previous question: Yes, I do know who he likes._

(7:46pm) Eddie: … but you’re not gonna tell me right

(7:47pm) _Stan: Correct. I’m not going to tell you. It’s not my secret to share._

(7:47pm) _Stan: Sorry Eddie._

Eddie sighed and dropped his phone onto the bed next to him. Richie _liked_ someone and it wasn’t him. If it was, Stan would’ve told him, right? He felt sad just thinking about it. Sad _and _pissed off, but mostly at himself for thinking he even had a chance with the other boy. Richie was _cool. _He was funny and smart and friendly and handsome and tall and extroverted and everything Eddie was not but wished to be. He felt the hot tears forming, threatening to spill over, and he flipped onto his back blinking furiously up at the ceiling. He was absolutely _not_ going to cry over another stupid boy.

Just then, he felt his phone vibrate with a new notification and he hurriedly brought it up to his face, scolding himself slightly for hoping it was Stan messaging him with a change of heart— telling him who the mysterious boy Richie had a crush on was.

He squinted confusedly at the unknown number on his screen.

(7:53pm) **207-174-6913: heyyyyyy sweet thang ;)**

(7:53pm) Eddie: who is this?

(7:53pm) **207-174-6913: the man of ur dreams baby**

(7:54pm) Eddie: listen up fucker im not in the mood for games right now just tell me who this is or im blocking u

(7:54pm) **207-174-6913: ooh i luv it when u talk dirty to me ;) ;) ;)**

(7:54pm) Eddie: im blocking you.

(7:54pm) **207-174-6913: WAIT**

(7:55pm) **207-174-6913: EDS**

(7:55pm) **207-174-6913: EDDIE SPAGHETTI**

(7:55pm) **207-174-6913: IT’S ME**

(7:57pm) **207-174-6913: FUCK DID U BLOCK ME ALREADY**

(7:57pm) **207-174-6913: NOOOOOOO COME BACK TO ME MY LOVE COME BACK </333**

(7:57pm) Eddie: jesus fuck u double text more than i do

(7:58pm) **207-174-6913: OMG**

(7:58pm) **207-174-6913: MY LOVE HAS COME BACK <3 :D**

(7:59pm) Eddie: lol hi rich

(7:59pm) Eddie: how’d you get my number?

(8:00pm) **Richie: i’ll never tell :D**

(8:00pm) Eddie: it was stan wasn’t it

(8:00pm) **Richie: no**

(8:01pm) **Richie: it was ur mom**

(8:02pm) Eddie: …

(8:02pm) **Richie: LMAO OK YA IT WAS STAN**

(8:03pm) **Richie: STAN THE MANNNNNNN**

(8:04pm) Eddie: why are u yelling

(8:04pm) **Richie: BC IM EXCITED TO BE TALKING TO YOU**

(8:05pm) **Richie: :D**

(8:05pm) **Richie: YOU’RE MY SPAGHETTI MAN <333333**

(8:06pm) Eddie: i told u not to call me that dipshit

(8:06pm) **Richie: ur so cute when ur mad eds**

(8:07pm) Eddie: i wish i could punch you in the throat

(8:07pm) **Richie: :O**

(8:08pm) **Richie: eddie bear NOOO violence is nvr the answer**

(8:08pm) Eddie: ew no do not call me eddie bear that’s what my mom calls me

(8:08pm) Eddie: aw fuck

(8:10pm) **Richie: UR MOM CALLS YOU EDDIE BEAR?**

(8:10pm) Eddie: UGH SHUT UP ASSHOLE i never should have said anything

(8:10pm) **Richie: hehehehe mwahaha**

(8:11pm) Eddie: what the fuck is wrong with you

(8:12pm) **Richie: guess wat your contact name is in my phone**

(8:12pm) Eddie: oh jesus fucking christ

(8:12pm) Eddie: richie i swear to GOD

(8:13pm) **Richie sent you a photo**

(8:14pm) **Richie: THAT’S RIGHT EDDIE BEAR <333333**

(8:15pm) Eddie: eds spaghetti man bear?

(8:15pm) Eddie: did you seriously combine all your nicknames for me into one??

(8:16pm) Eddie: that’s so fucking dumb oh my god i hate you

(8:16pm) **Richie: excuse u**

(8:17pm) **Richie: rude**

(8:17pm) **Richie: wat’s ur name 4 me**

(8:17pm) Eddie: why do you type like an actual middle schooler

(8:18pm) **Richie: h8rs r my motiv8rs**

(8:18pm) Eddie sent a photo  
****

(8:18pm) Eddie: *shrugging emoji*

(8:20pm) **Richie: RICHIE????**

(8:20pm) **Richie: U NAMED ME JUST RICHIE???????**

(8:21pm) **Richie: IM HURT EDS**

(8:21pm) Eddie: fine i’ll change it to Richard.

(8:21pm) **Richard.: NOOOOOO**

(8:22pm) **Richard.: change it 2**

(8:22pm) **Richard.: sexy beast 4eva**

(8:24pm) Eddie: what the actual fuck

(8:24pm) Eddie: no

(8:25pm) **Richard.: awwwww cmon**

(8:25pm) **Richard.: ur no fun :P**

(9:02pm) **Richard.: and now ur ignoring me too?**

(9:02pm) **Richard.: sexy beast 4eva is sad :(**

(9:02pm) **Richard.: sexy beast 4eva is going 2 go cry in a corner now bc the luv of his life is ignoring him :(**

(9:11pm) Eddie: jesus fuck i was doing hw

(9:11pm) Eddie: and stop referring to urself in the 3rd person u weirdo

(9:11pm) **Richard.: HA! SO U ADMIT I AM A SEXY BEAST 4EVA**

(9:12pm) Eddie: i actually hate you so much

(9:12pm) **Richard.: no u dont <33333**

(9:14pm) Eddie: …

(9:15pm) Eddie: ok fine i don’t hate you

(9:15pm) Eddie: i despise u

(9:15pm) **Richard.: :O**

(9:16pm) **Richard.: </333**

(9:16pm) **Richard.: y r u always breaking my achey breaky heart eds**

(9:17pm) Eddie: i said not to call me that -_-

(9:17pm) **Richard.: OH MY GOD**

(9:18pm) **Richard.: DID U JUST USE AN EMOTICON**

(9:18pm) **Richard.: -_-**

(9:18pm)** Richard.: UR SO CUUUUTTEEEEEEEE**

(9:19pm) Eddie: shut up

(9:19pm) Eddie: i felt like a middle schooler using that

(9:20pm) **Richard.: well u look like a middle schooler**

(9:21pm) Eddie: yeah a middle schooler that could KICK YOUR ASS

(9:21pm) **Richie: mmmm ya baby keep talking dirty to me**

(9:21pm) Eddie: … god has anyone ever told u how fucking weird u are?

(9:22pm) **Richard.: always :P**

(9:22pm) Eddie: okaayyy well anyways

(9:22pm) Eddie: i need to go now

(9:22pm) Eddie: i have to study for an exam

(9:23pm) Eddie: oh so i wont be at the library tomorrow

(9:24pm) **Richard.: ur breakin my heart here again eds**

(9:24pm) **Richard.: ur pretty face is the only thing that gets me thru the day </3**

(9:25pm) Eddie: *shrugging emoji* sorry

(9:25pm) **Richard.: i’ll probably go anyway to bother stan w/ big bill**

(9:26pm) **Richard.: u know they like each other**

(9:27pm) Eddie: holy shit really???

(9:28pm) **Richard.: ya but theyre both idiots bc they dont realize they like each other**

(9:28pm) **Richard.: soooo dumb they give me headaches**

(9:28pm) **Richard.: HEADACHES!!!!**

(9:30pm) Eddie: was that a drake and josh reference

(9:30pm) **Richard.: yes**

(9:31pm) **Richard.: and i love u even more now for noticing <3**

(9:31pm) Eddie: lol okay well i really do have to go study now

(9:31pm) Eddie: goodnight rich :)

(9:32pm) **Richard.: goodnight my sweet eds spaghetti man bear <3333 i’ll be dreaming of u <3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? Another update already?
> 
> This one is a lot shorter than the previous chapter and it's also more Bill/Stan centric because I just wanna hurry up and establish their relationship so I can focus on my oblivious, pining losers aka REDDIE!!!! Sorry if the writing feels rushed- that's because it kinda was ha ha... I need to hurry this story along so I can write the juicy bits. Also, I'm gonna try and include more of Beverly, Mike, and Ben in the upcoming chapters but it's so??? hard??? UGH.
> 
> Thanks for all the love and I hope you guys enjoy! <3

“Eddie’s not here today,” Stan says as soon as he sees Richie come in through the door. “Oh. Hey Bill,” he adds when he sees the other boy trailing behind him.

“Stan the Man!” Richie shouts. “Who says I’m here to see Eddie?” He asks when he reaches the front, placing both elbows on the counter and leaning forward to give Stan a wink. “Maybe I’m here to see _you_ Stanothy!”

Stan snorts. “Yeah, okay and I’m not Jewish.” He pushes Richie’s elbow off. “What are you guys doing here? Gonna drop another stack of books on me?” He asks Bill with a grin.

Bill flushes a dark red while Richie lets out a bark of laughter. “Oh man, Bill, buddy-o, I don’t think he’s ever going to let you live that down.”

“S-S-Sorry.”

Stan laughs and smiles gently at him. “I’m only kidding Bill. Seriously, don’t worry about it,” he adds when he notices the other boy’s pained expression.

Bill nods once, more to himself than anything, and says after clearing his throat, “W-We’re a-ac-actually here b-because we, well, _I,_ w-wanted to as-as-ask you s-something.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure. What is it?”

“W-Wo-Would y-you w-w-wa-want t-to m-maybe— R-Richie, _f-f-fuck off_,” he barks at the taller boy when he notices him standing behind Stan making lewd hand gestures.

Stan turns to see Richie standing behind him looking like a picture of innocence. He rolls his eyes and huffs, pushing him out from behind the counter. Once satisfied that the bespectacled boy will stay in place for the time being, he gestures to Bill to follow him. “Technically only employees are allowed back here, but what Ms. Fieldings doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” he says with a shrug as he turns the door handle to let them into the backroom. The door shuts with a soft _click_ behind them.

“Wh-who’s M-M-Ms.F-F-Fieldings?”

Stan stares at Bill incredulously. “The librarian,” he says slowly. “You do know I don’t actually own this place, right? I’m only part time.”

Bill snorts.”I-I’m not th-that dumb. I j-ju-just never kn-knew th-that was h-h-her n-name.”

Both boys laugh. “Wh-Wh-What did y-you br-bring m-me in here f-f-for?” Bill eventually asks.

Stan shrugs and averts his eyes, playing with a loose thread on the sleeve of his cardigan. “Your stutter gets worse when you get nervous. I thought you would feel better about asking me whatever it is you wanted to ask me if we were away from Richie.”

“Oh.”

The room dissolves into an awkward silence, tension hanging heavily in the air.

Stan lets out a big breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and shakes his head at himself before straightening up. “Okay,” he says firmly, looking back at Bill. “I could be getting this completely wrong,— and please correct me if I am — but I’m pretty sure I know what you wanted to ask.” He clears his throat. “Yes, I would love to go on a date with you.”

Bill’s eyes widen as he stares dumbly at the other boy. Stan has just enough time to think _oh shit I was wrong_ before Bill breaks into the biggest, brightest smile he’s ever seen.

“R-r-really? I m-mean, g-gr-great! Fr-Friday? I h-have an ex-exam, b-but a-af-after. I c-c-can t-text you.”

Stan breaks into an equally big smile and nods his head. “Yeah,” he says stupidly. “Yeah, that would be great.” He hands his phone to Bill who does the same to him and they both input their respective numbers into their phones, grinning stupidly down at the screen the whole while.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

They both startle at the loud noise and stare at each other wide eyed before turning their heads in the direction of the door.

“HEY LOVER BOY!” Richie shouts, his face pressed up against the crack of the door. “YOU GUYS BETTER NOT BE FUCKING IN THERE! THIS POOR GIRL NEEDS YOUR HELP OUT HERE, STAN!” He pounds obnoxiously on the door again. “WAIT, ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY FUCKING? LET ME WATCH!”

Stan slams the door open and glowers at Richie. “Beep _fucking beep,” _he growls through his gritted teeth. He turns to Bill and shoots him an apologetic look. “Text me, okay?” He gives him one more small smile before shoving past Richie and out the door.

“Sorry about him. What can I help you with?” Bill hears Stan ask, presumably to the girl that needed help.

Bill bends down to grab his phone that he had accidentally dropped during the scare and pockets it before heading out the door, Richie trailing close behind. He waves goodbye at Stan who had looked up as they passed, and the other boy smiles easily at Bill, but gives Richie the finger behind his back. 

Richie laughs and slings an arm around Bill, shouting, “I LOVE YOU TOO, STANIEL!”

They receive glares from the other students and Bill quickens his steps — Richie following since his arm was still slung around Bill’s shoulders — until they’re finally out the main doors into the cold, crisp October air.

“How’d it go?” Richie asks as they step off the last step onto the sidewalk. He faces the other boy and blows hot air into his cupped hands in an attempt to warm them up.

“Fr-friday,” Bill says in response, the beginnings of a smile creeping onto his face. “W-We’re meeting Fr-friday.” He’s grinning unabashedly now, the thrill of his talk with Stan still fresh on his mind.

“FUCK YEAH!” Richie cries out, hands pumping in the air. He slaps Bill roughly on the back which causes the unsuspecting boy to lurch forward with an _oof! _Richie lets out a short bark of laughter before pitching his voice higher in a poor imitation of a valley girl. “Come on Billius! Let’s like, go home and change into our PJ’s and you can like, tell me all about what happened while we braid each other’s hair!”

“B-beep beep, Tr-tr-trashmouth.”

“Hey!” Richie shouts indignantly. “Only Stan is allowed to say that to me!” He runs a hand down his face and moans dramatically. “He’s already such a bad influence on you.”

Bill just laughs in response and they both turn, heading in the direction of their dorms, when suddenly Richie says in his valley girl impression, “And like, make sure you don’t leave out like, _any_ details about the hardcore fucking you guys did in that room, ‘kay?”

Bill groans and shoves at his shoulder. “_F-fuck off.”_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you always for the kind comments and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter <3

Eddie was back at the library by Friday. He had heard from Stan about his date with Bill and Eddie had readily agreed to cover the other boy’s shift. Besides, his midterm exams were finally over with, Halloween was coming up, and he was feeling generous.

The library was eerily silent without Richie there to distract him and Eddie missed his terrible impressions and equally terrible jokes— though he would never admit it to him. The taller boy had his last exam to take that day and was unable to stop by, leaving Eddie horribly bored.

Eddie knew he was falling too hard, too fast for Richie and he knew in the back of his mind that liking the other boy would only end up in heartbreak. Ever since he found out about Richie’s crush on that mysterious boy, he knew he had to move on. The question was _how._

He glanced at the clock on the wall and pulled out his phone, opening the messaging app and tapping on the first text thread.

(4:28pm) Eddie: good luck on your exam rich! :)

(4:28pm) Eddie: _You sent a GIF_

He knew Richie probably wasn’t going to see the text until after his midterm was over, but he attached a gif he thought would make the other boy laugh and pressed send anyways.

“Hi Eddie.”

Eddie looked up from his phone, brows furrowed. “Hey Jackson,” he said. “I didn’t know you were working today,” he asked as he pocketed his phone. Eddie didn’t work as much with Jackson as Stan did, but he thought the other boy was nice. _And cute_ his mind unhelpfully supplied. Eddie shoved that thought to the back of his mind.

Jackson grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah,” he said looking at his feet nervously. “I told Ms. Fieldings I wouldn’t mind picking up an extra shift today so,” he trailed off.

“Oh,” Eddie said, fidgeting with the zipper of his fanny pack. “That’s… cool?”

Jackson looked up and grinned at him at that. “No, it’s not. I chose to work on a Friday night instead of going out and, I don’t know, partying or something.”

Eddie laughed, feeling at ease and pulled the zipper of his fanny pack shut, dropping his hands by his sides. “Yeah, why _did_ you want to work anyway?”

Inexplicably, Jackson flushed a light pink and rubbed the back of his neck again. “About that…” He cleared his throat and looked away for a moment before turning his attention back to Eddie. “I wanted to ask if, um, if maybe you wanted to go on a date? With me?”

Eddie blinked.

Eddie blinked again.

He stood there, arms hanging uselessly by his sides as he opened and closed his mouth around unformed words, looking like a fish.

“Oh,” he eventually said. He cleared his throat and looked away. “Why?”

“What?” Jackson asked, brows furrowed and a confused look on his face.

Eddie nervously toyed with his fanny pack again just to have something to do with his hands. He glanced at Jackson with his bottom lip caught between his teeth before finally sighing and responding in a small voice, “I mean, why do you want to date me? I’m— I’m just… me.” He eventually settled on, gesturing towards himself like that would explain everything.

Jackson shrugged. “I think you’re really cute. And I would love to get to know you more if you’ll let me?”

Eddie was conflicted. He hadn’t dated anyone since his disastrous ex and to be honest, he was scared. At the same time however, he knew this was the perfect opportunity for him to get over his crush on Richie. Jackson seemed nice enough and he certainly was cute enough with his messy blond hair, naturally tan skin, and bright blue eyes. He was the complete opposite of Richie, but maybe that’s exactly what Eddie needed. So with a sigh and a small smile, he nodded his head.

Jackson grinned. “Great,” he said easily. “How about tonight after we get off? We can grab dinner and then go watch that new scary clown movie?”

Eddie nodded his head again and smiled a little wider. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.”

Jackson shot him a wink that reminded him painfully of Richie and walked away to the book cart. Eddie watched his retreating back for a few seconds before a buzz in his pocket startled him out of his reverie.

(5:04pm) **Richard.: awwwwwwww thnx eds :D******

(5:05pm) **Richard.: 10/10 gif usage would use again**

(5:05pm) Eddie: you finished ur exam already???

(5:05pm) Eddie: what the fuck didn’t it start at 4:30?

(5:05pm) Eddie: are u a secret genius or something???

(5:06pm) **Richard.: xD******

(5:06pm)** Richard.: no i saw ur name on my phone and rushed thru it so i could text my baby back <3**

(5:07pm) Eddie: that’s not funny rich

(5:07pm**) Richard.: hehehehe ok im jk the exam was rly easy everyone finished in like the first 30 min**

(5:08pm) **Richard.: u at the library rn??**

(5:08pm: Eddie: yeah are u gonna stop by?

(5:08pm) **Richard.: AWWWWW EDDIE SPAGHETTI DID U MISS MEEEEEEE**

(5:08pm) **Richard.: U DID DIDN’T YOU**

(5:09pm)** Richard.: AWW SO CUTE MY BABY MISSED ME**

(5:10pm) Eddie: u know what asshole nvm go fuck yourself

(5:10pm) **Richard.: ur always wounding me eds </3**

(5:10pm)** Richard.: im meeting big bill rn but wanna hang after?**

(5:13pm) Eddie: i cant

(5:13pm) **Richard.: y? u got a hot date or something? ;-)**

(5:17pm) Eddie: yeah

(5:17pm) **Richard.: LMAO ur so funny eds**

(5:18pm) **Richard.: srsly tho do u wanna hang out? :D <3**

(5:24pm) Eddie: im being serious richie i cant

(5:24pm) **Richard.: wait what?**

(5:24pm) **Richard.: do you seriously have a date?**

(5:26pm)** Richard.: with who?**

(5:26pm) **Richard.: why didn’t you tell me?**

(5:26pm) **Richard.: do i know them?**

(5:27pm) Eddie: jeez mom calm down

(5:27pm) **Richard.: where are you guys going**?

(5:28pm) Eddie: it’s fine richie dont worry about it

(5:31pm) **Richard.: sorry**

(5:31pm) Eddie: what r u sorry for asshole

(5:31pm) **Richard.: nothing**

(5:32pm) Eddie: …

(5:32pm) Eddie: let’s hang out tmr?

(5:33pm) **Richard.: yeah**

(5:33pm) Eddie: great i gotta go work but ill text u later ok?

(5:41pm) **Richard.: yeah**

(5:43pm) **Richard.: have fun on your date eddie.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idiots... Let me know if you guys find the texting annoying? Like if you would rather me put more "story" in if that makes sense and not just text convos :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle in folks! This is going to be a long one!  
And as always, thank you for the kudos and kind comments. I love all you beautiful people <3

Eddie’s date with Jackson went… surprisingly well. The other boy was a complete gentleman the entire night and even gave Eddie his jacket to wear on the walk home. They went on a few more dates after that, all going just as well as the first one, and Eddie was feeling cautiously optimistic that he would be getting over his crush on Richie sooner rather than later. Every time he thought of Jackson, he couldn’t help but smile. That’s how Beverly found him almost two weeks later.

“What are you smiling about?” She asked as she walked back in to her dorm, arms laden with halloween decorations. “And thanks _so much_ for all the help,” she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m struggling to hold all of this or anything.”

Eddie just grinned and sat himself more comfortably on the redhead’s bed, leaning against the headboard with her throw blanket over his lap. “Hey this party was _your_ idea, not mine.”

“For the last time, it’s not a party,” she grunted as she set the box of decorations down by the foot of her bed. “Ben and I are just inviting a few friends to celebrate Halloween with.”

“Who’s all coming again?”

Beverly sat herself in her desk chair and threw her head back. “Ugh, I’m getting too old to be doing all this hard work.”

Eddie snorted. “Bev, you’re 19.”

“_Exactly. _I’m old as fuck,” she said with a groan. “And it’s gonna be me, you, Ben, Stan, Richie, Bill, and Mike.”

“I didn’t know you knew Mike.”

Beverly shrugged. “I don’t, but Bill and Richie do and they said he’s cool. The more the merrier!” She cheered.

Eddie fidgeted with the blanket in his lap, playing with a loose thread. “Can I—” He swallowed. “Can I invite someone too?” He asked in a small voice.

“_Duh, _silly,” the redhead said with a laugh. She caught his anxious expression and asked, “Why do you look so nervous?”

“You remember that new guy— well I guess he’s not new anymore since he’s been working there for like a month now,— but remember that guy, Jackson, I told you about that works at the library with me and Stan?” He rambled nervously, unable to stop. “Well, we might’ve maybe gone on a date like two weeks ago, well actually, a few dates, but anyways, he’s _so nice_ Bev, like really, really nice and I just know you’re going to love him and he said he didn’t have plans tonight and I figured maybe I could invite him? And you could meet him? And so could Stan and Richie and the rest of our friends…” he trailed off, biting his lip.

“Oh my _god, EDDIE!” _Beverly yelled as she threw herself onto the bed next to the smaller boy. “Oh my god, wait, backtrack. You talk so fucking fast I need to process all of this real quick.” She sat up and situated herself by Eddie’s feet so she could face him, a sly smirk making its way onto her face. “Sooooo, you went on dates, plural, with this Jackson guy? And this happened _two weeks ago? _Why didn’t you tell me!” She exclaimed in mock outrage.

Eddie laughed nervously. “I’m sorry!” He cried out. “It all just happened so fast and I was nervous as fuck. Texting you was the last thing on my mind.”

Beverly waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, okay. But what about Richie?”

Eddie stared at her in confusion. “What about him?”

“You don’t like him anymore?”

He was silent for a moment. “I need to get over him, Bev,” he responded quietly. “And Jackson is nice. You’ll like him.”

Beverly nodded her head solemnly. “Well, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy. Richie’s missing out. I’m glad you found someone else though,” she said with a warm smile. “I can’t wait to meet him! I can’t believe you’ve waited this long before telling me. Hurry up and text him!” She exclaimed before patting his leg once and crawling over them as she tried clambering out of the bed. “I gotta go see what’s taking Ben so long. Be right back.”

Eddie watched her retreating back for a moment before pulling his phone out from underneath the blanket and opening Jackson’s message thread. He took a second to read through their previous messages and tried, but failed, to keep the soft, happy smile off his face.

(1:11pm) Eddie: hi :) you said u didn’t have plans tonight right?

(1:12pm) Jackson: Yeah! Did you want to hang out?

(1:12pm) Eddie: do u want to come to my friend’s halloween party?

(1:13pm) Eddie: there’s not gonna be many of us. but stan will be there so i wont be the only person u know if you feel uncomfortable

(1:13pm) Eddie: and u dont have to dress up if u dont want

(1:15pm) Jackson: Sounds fun. What are you going as?

(1:16pm) Eddie: lol this is so stupid

(1:16pm) Eddie: but i was thinking of going as that hypochondriac from the clown movie we saw on our first date

(1:16pm) Eddie: he just kinda reminded me of me and i thought his costume would be easy to recreate so

(1:17pm) Jackson: Haha you do kind of look like him. Maybe I’ll go as that dorky kid with the coke bottle glasses.

(1:19pm) Eddie: oh… a couple costume?

(1:19pm) Jackson: Do you mind? I can dress up as someone else if you want.

(1:20pm) Eddie: no it’s ok :)

(1:21pm) Jackson: Great. Just text me the time and place and I’ll be there :)

“God, Bev, how many decorations are you putting up?” Ben asked with a huff as he struggled through the doorway holding yet another box of halloween decorations.

“It’s not a Halloween party without Halloween decorations, Ben!” Beverly exclaimed as she held the door open for him, flattening herself against the hard wood so Ben and the boxes could get by. She turned her head and noticed Eddie still lounging on her bed. “Edward Kaspbrak so help me god if you don’t help us with these boxes I am going to kick your ass _so hard_ you’ll have a dent in the shape of my foot embedded into your ass. Forever. Try explaining _that _to Jackson,” she said with her eyebrows raised.

Eddie let out a surprised bark of laughter and quickly sent the party information to Jackson before placing his phone on the bedside table and kicking the warm blanket off of his legs. He didn’t need to be told twice when the redhead used that tone of voice on him. “Alright Marsh,” he said with his hands on his hips. “What do you need me to do?”

———————

Eddie ran a nervous hand through his hair as he looked at himself through the mirror. He was back in his own dorm now and had just finished getting dressed. He pulled self consciously at his shorts and readjusted his fanny pack again. Eddie had dug through his closet trying to find the pieces that he could wear to recreate the outfit he liked best from the movie and had come up with a baby pink polo, the bright red shorts he was currently wearing, tube socks, and his trusty fanny pack. It was funny just how similar to the character in the movie he was. The only thing he really needed to spend money on was a fake cast that he had written LOSER on only to write over the S with a red V.

Eddie pulled out his phone and checked the time. 7:41pm. Jackson would be here soon. He tried to ignore the little message that said _No Older Notifications _as he scrolled through his phone and contemplated whether or not he should text Richie again. The other boy has been suspiciously quiet and Eddie didn’t know why. Was he ignoring him? He knew he shouldn’t be thinking so much about Richie since he was trying to get over him, but he couldn’t help but miss the messy haired boy’s enthusiastic texts. The texts that he _did_ receive from the other boy were so bland he thought he would die of boredom. Not only that, but Richie hardly came to the library anymore, leaving Eddie with no way to contact him. He shook his head and sighed. He would talk to Richie tonight at the party.

Just as he was debating whether or not he should also pack his inhaler, a knock sounded, and he quickly zipped his fanny pack shut and opened the door.

Jackson stood there with oversized, thick black rimmed glasses that took up half his face, a ridiculously bright and colorful Hawaiian shirt, and blue jeans. He didn’t look too much like the character in the movie, but Eddie appreciated the effort he put into his costume. “Hi Jackson,” he said, tugging anxiously at his shorts when he noticed the other boy eyeing his legs with an unreadable expression on his face. “I like your costume,” Eddie added as he grabbed his coat and stepped into the hall, shutting the door closed behind him.

“Thanks,” Jackson responded, a hint of a smile making its way onto his face. “You look great. Aren’t you going to be cold?” He asked as he eyed Eddie’s legs again.

“It’s fine,” Eddie replied shrugging his jacket on. “Bev’s dorm isn’t too far.”

Together they made their way to Beverly’s dorm, laughing and talking the whole way there. As they neared her door, they could hear the muffled sound of conversation and laughter inside. Eddie raised one hand to knock, the other pulling awkwardly, since it was in a bulky cast, at his shorts again. For some reason, he was feeling incredibly nervous.

“EDDIE!” Beverly cried as she opened the door for them, one hand holding a red plastic cup and the other gesturing for them to come inside. She gave him a once over and said with a smirk, “You know it’s Halloween, right? Are you even wearing a costume? That looks like something you would wear on a regular day.”

Eddie let out a laugh, feeling at ease in the face of his closest friend. “Shut the fuck up, Marsh. You’re one to talk,” he shot back, eyeing her striped shirt and blue shorts.

“I’m _obviously _Mad Max… You know? From Stranger Things?” She elaborated when Eddie just stared at her with a blank face. She rolled her eyes. “You so need to catch up on Netflix— Oh, hi!” She said suddenly as if just now noticing the blond boy standing awkwardly beside Eddie. “You must be Jackson, right? I’m Beverly.” She gave him a wide smile and stuck her hand out.

“Nice to meet you,” Jackson said easily, grabbing her hand and shaking it. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things I hope!” Beverly cried out with a laugh as she stepped further inside her dorm. “I’ll introduce you to the gang. This is Bill and I’m assuming you already know Stan,” she said, hands on top of their heads, as she stood between the 2 boys sitting on the floor.

Stan, who was dressed as a vampire and had fake blood running down from his lips, flashed Jackson a smile showing his fake fangs. Bill just gave a little wave.

“And those two playing Mario Kart over there are Ben and Mike,” Beverly continued. Ben paused the game so he could turn to properly greet the blond.

“Hi Jackson! I’m Ben.”

“What’s up man?” Mike asked.

“Nice to meet you guys,” Jackson said, smile still firmly on his face.

The two boys turned back to the TV as Eddie looked around the small room. “Hey where’s Richie?”

Beverly rolled her eyes. “You know him—always late. He’ll probably be here soon.”

Suddenly, a loud knock sounded on the door before it was thrown open. “HELLO LESBIANS!” Richie shouted, arms spread, as he walked into the room with a white sheet thrown over himself. “YOUR FAVORITE PERSON IS HERE!”

“Damn, my timing is amazing,” Beverly said, mostly to herself, before turning to the newcomer. “That’s a pretty shitty costume, Trashmouth.”

Richie gasped in mock offense. “It’s an _incredible_ cost—” he stopped suddenly, noticing Jackson and Eddie standing beside her. Richie pulled the sheet off of him and furrowed his brows in confusion. “Don’t I know you?” He asked, directing his question at the blond.

“Yeah, I work at the library. I’ve seen you around a few times.” Jackson said as he slipped an arm around Eddie’s waist, a movement that none of the group— especially not Richie— missed.

The curly haired boy eyed the hand resting on Eddie’s waist with an unreadable expression on his face before slipping past Beverly and sitting next to Stan on the floor. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room— the TV no longer playing the upbeat Mario melody since Ben had turned it off when Richie arrived— before it was finally, and thankfully, broken by Beverly switching on her Halloween playlist.

“Oh I love this song,” Jackson said with a grin, pulling Eddie closer to him. “Wanna dance?”

“Um, no thanks,” Eddie squeaked, face flaming. “I, uh, c-can’t dance,” he stuttered out.

Jackson smiled at the smaller boy’s red cheeks. “No worries,” he said before turning towards Ben. “Hey, you guys were playing Mario Kart earlier, right? Care if I join?”

Ben shrugged. “Sure,” he said as he reached to turn the TV back on. “But just know that I’m basically impossible to beat. Ask Mike.”

Mike shook his head solemnly. “It’s true man. I’ve played 3 different rounds with him and he’s gotten 1st every time.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” Jackson said with a smirk. “Bring it on.” He squeezed Eddie’s side briefly before removing his hand from his waist and sitting by Ben.

Eddie, who had been standing stoic still when Jackson had put an arm around him, breathed a sigh of relief once the other boy stepped away. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Jackson touching him— it was the fact that _Richie_ was there— and he hadn’t had the chance to tell the dark haired boy who it was that he was dating.

With Jackson distracted for the time being, he turned towards Richie who was now sitting by himself on the floor. Eddie rolled his eyes when he saw the other boy throw the white sheet back over himself when he noticed Eddie approaching.

He sat himself down with a sigh. “Richie, you know I can see you, right?”

Richie made un-scary ghost noises in response.

Eddie rolled his eyes again, feeling like Stan. “Shut the fuck up and tell me what’s wrong.”

“OOooOOoooOOOoooOO.”

Eddie scowled and ripped the sheets off of him, accidentally knocking the other boy’s glasses off his face in the process.

“Hey!” Richie cried out. He pretended to be blinder than he really was as he moved his hands around the floor searching for his glasses. “Jinkies! Where are my glasses?”

“Oh my god that’s so fucking nasty,” Eddie said with a grimace, eyeing the other boy’s hands in disgust as they roamed around the dirty floor. “Stop do— hey! _Stop. STOP!” _He batted Richie’s hands away with a little shriek when they started reaching for his face. “Here are your glasses, you dramatic little asshole.” He pinched the glasses between his thumb and forefinger and dropped it in Richie’s waiting hands before unzipping his fanny pack and pulling his sanitizer out.

“Always so sweet,” Richie mumbled as he haphazardly shoved his glasses back onto his face, fingerprints and all.

“Yep,” Eddie said, popping the p. “Want some?” He asked, holding the sanitizer bottle out to the other boy.

“No,” Richie responded. “But for you I will.” He put his hands out and Eddie squirted a generous amount into his hands before putting it back into his fanny pack.

They sat there in silence. Eddie idly watched what looked to be an intense race on the TV before turning his head and side eyeing Richie.

“Rich, what’s wrong?”

“So, Jackson, huh?”

They both spoke over each other. Eddie cleared his throat.

“Yeah. Jackson.” He said in a small voice. “I was going to tell you, but—”

“But nothing. It’s fine, Eddie,” Richie responded in a tired voice.

Eddie tried not to blanch at the use of his full name. It sounded weird coming from Richie and Eddie, as much as he complained, loved the nicknames the other boy gave him.

“Is that why you were ignoring me? Because I didn’t tell you about Jackson? I mean, I did tell you I was going on a date that first night. I just thought it wouldn’t matter to you who I was going out with. If I knew you were going to be this upset about it, I would’ve told you right away,” he rambled, nervously.

Richie sighed. “I said it’s fine, Eddie. I’m just being stupid.”

“Stupid about _what?”_ Eddie asked in confusion and frustration. “Obviously something’s still wrong if you’re calling me Eddie.”

The beginnings of a smirk made its way onto the curly haired boy’s face. “Why? Isn’t Eddie your name?”

“_Yes,”_ Eddie hissed. “But you _never_ call me just Eddie. It’s always some shit like Eds or Spaghetti Man or Eddiot— which I still fucking hate by the way, I’m _not _an idiot— or, or, I don’t know!” He threw his hands up in exasperation.

There was a brief moment of silence before, “Awwwww, Eddie Spaghetti missed my nicknames!” Richie said, a full blown smirk now on his face.

“That is _not_ what I said, dickwad.”

“Methinks doth protest too much,” Richie responded in a bad English accent.

“Argh!” Eddie cried out. “Can we not have a serious conversation? Like, are you seriously incapable of being serious? I’m trying to be a good friend here, asshole. Just— tell me what’s wrong,” he said in a softer voice.

Richie’s smile dropped off his face. Eddie immediately missed it.

“It’s nothing, Eds. I’m just stressed about exam grades, okay?”

Eddie eyed him suspiciously. “That’s such bullshit, Tozier. Midterms were two weeks ago.”

Richie groaned. “It’s _not bullshit._ Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m feeling better already just having my spaghetti man by my side.” He flashed Eddie a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“_Don’t_ call me that.”

“Nuh-uh.” He shook his head. “You basically confessed that you love my nicknames,” Richie sing songed. He eyed Eddie’s bare legs. “And speaking of confessions, I’m going to need to go to a priest and confess all my dirty sins after looking at those legs of yours. Yowza Eds!”

Eddie, who had been sitting with his legs spread out in front of him, hurriedly crossed them as he tried in vain to pull his shorts down. “Shut the fuck up, asshole!”

Richie let out a bark of laughter. “You’re so cute when you blush, Eddie bear,” he cooed. Richie leaned in closer to Eddie’s ear and Eddie tried hard not to shiver at the sensation of Richie’s curls tickling his cheek. “And for the record, I missed your nicknames for me too,” he whispered before pulling back and pushing himself off the floor.

“HEIGH HO!” Richie yelled suddenly as he threw himself onto Bill, Stan, and Beverly’s lap, the three teens sitting huddled together on the bed in the middle of a conversation.

“Ow Richie!” Beverly cried out.

Eddie tried, but failed, to keep the smile off his face. He was glad Richie was back to his usual, peppy self, but he couldn’t help but feel that something was still amiss. He shook his head. He had to stop worrying so much about the other boy. He was with _Jackson_ now. And Jackson was nice.

Eddie tore his attention away from Richie and shifted his attention to the blond, only to find the other boy already staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face and a strange, but startlingly familiar, glint in his eyes. Eddie unconsciously gulped and reached instinctively for his inhaler only to remember that he had left it in his dorm.

Carefully, he pushed himself off the floor and made his way to Jackson. “Did you win the game?” He asked nervously, pointing to the TV.

Jackson flashed him a strange smile. “I always win.”

“You’ve got a keeper there,” Ben joked with a laugh, oblivious to the weird tension between the two boys. “Anyone who can beat me in Mario Kart is one to watch.”

Eddie let out a forced laugh that sounded fake even to his own ears. Ben either didn’t notice, or didn’t care, as he got off the couch and headed to the fridge to grab a drink. Eddie watched him for a moment before directing his attention back to Jackson, who had also stood up from the couch and was now towering over Eddie’s smaller frame. The blond boy was still staring at him with an indecipherable expression on his face.

“Congratulations on the win,” Eddie said meekly. Jackson was making him increasingly nervous. The other boy smiled.

“Thanks, Eddie. Do you want to head back now?”

Eddie blinked up at him in surprise. “Wait, already? We just got here!” He protested.

“Eddie,” Jackson said in a soft and strangely pitiful voice as he grabbed one of Eddie’s hand in his. “I’m really sorry, but I’m tired. And I met all your friends now like you wanted. Can’t we hang out with them another day?”

“Oh,” Eddie breathed. He didn’t realize Jackson might have been feeling overwhelmed by meeting all of these new people at once. He shook his head. “Yeah, of course. I’m sorry,” he said instinctively. “Let me just say bye, okay?” Eddie turned towards the room. “Hey guys,” he called in a loud voice, grabbing everybody’s attention. “Jackson and I are gonna head out now.”

6 pairs of eyes blinked at him in confusion. Nobody said anything for a moment. It was Richie who broke the silence.

“Why?”

Eddie hesitated and glanced briefly up at Jackson. “Jackson’s tired so we thought we would call it a night.” The hand holding his tightened slightly.

“Okay? So why can’t Jackson go back then and you stay with us?” Richie’s eyebrows were furrowed and he was staring hard at Eddie and Jackson’s joined hands.

“I—” Eddie stopped.

“We’re _both_ tired,” Jackson cut in smoothly. He turned toward Beverly and flashed her a small smile. “Thank you, Beverly, for inviting us. It was so nice to meet everybody.”

Beverly’s looked at him with wide eyes. “Um, yeah, of course. Anytime. It was nice to meet you too.”

The rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement except for Stan who was staring at Jackson through narrowed eyes, like he was a riddle that he hadn’t quite figured out the answer to yet. “I’ll see you at the library, Jackson,” he said in a tone of voice that had Eddie wincing.

“Of course,” Jackson responded easily, either ignoring or not realizing the underlying warning, as he walked towards the door hand in hand with Eddie. “Thanks again guys.”

“Bye guys,” Eddie repeated hurriedly as he turned away, trying to ignore the expressions on his friend’s faces.

The door clicked shut behind them and Eddie glanced briefly down at his smaller hand in Jackson’s bigger one before flicking his gaze to the taller boy who was looking down at him with that same strange expression on his face. It was silent for a moment. Then,

“Let’s have a talk, Eddie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting juicier people...  
Also, just a little timeline. I originally wrote it so that this took place the day after Eddie and Jackson’s date, but I thought it was a litttllleee bit unrealistic to have Jackson be acting like this after only one date so I changed it to where they’ve been going out for almost two weeks. Now, that Jackson and Eddie are a bit more comfortable with each other, Jackson’s true colors are slowly being shown… dun dun DUN! But anyways, because I extended their time together by two weeks, the month of October in this story is suspiciously long…. let’s ignore that. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not edited, like always. i dont know how i feel about this chapter. it feels rushed? maybe that's just me... idk... regardless... i hope you all enjoy and thank u for the kind comments and love <3

As soon as the door shut, the 6 remaining teens turned to each other in confusion.

“Did anybody else get really weird vibes from him just now? I’m not the only one, right?” Mike asked as he looked around at each of them.

“N-n-no,” Bill replied. “W-weird is d-d-definitely an understatem-m-ment.”

“I don’t like him,” Richie said bluntly.

Beverly gently bumped his shoulder with her own. “You don’t even know him, Richie.”

“I don’t care,” Richie said with a frown. “I don’t like him.”

Stan nodded his head solemnly. “Bev, doesn’t he kind of remind you of—” He cut himself off abruptly, noticing the warning look on the redhead’s face. Richie whipped his head back and forth between the two.

“Remind you of who?”

“Nobody,” Beverly responded hastily. Richie narrowed his eyes at her, but before he could reply, Ben cut in.

“He seemed nice enough,” the brunette said with a shrug. “Well, at least until he noticed Richie flirting with Eddie.”

“Oh shit you’re right,” Mike said, nodding his head in agreement with Ben. “He looked pretty pissed when you were cozying up to Eddie, Tozier.”

Richie blinked at them dumbly. “What? Eds and I were just _talking. _I wasn’t _cozying up,”_ he put air quotes around the words, “to anybody. If Jackass Jackson gets his panties in a wad over Eddie talking to his _friends,_” he put emphasis on the word, “then maybe Eddie needs to dump him and find someone who isn’t an insecure little dickwad,” he said hotly.

It was silent for a moment before Bill said in a small voice, “M-Maybe, but you _l-l-like_ E-Eddie.”

Richie groaned and put his head in his hands. “So _what?_” He asked, annoyed. “Does it matter?”

“All we’re saying is that maybe that’s the reason why Jackson was acting all sketchy,” Mike responded kindly.

“No,” Richie said firmly. “Something about him is off.”

“Maybe we should give him a chance, Richie,” Beverly said kindly, ignoring Stan’s look.

“Whatever,” Richie mumbled before pushing himself off the bed and grabbing his white sheet off the floor. “I’m gonna head back. It’s not a party without Eds here anyway.” He ducked his head to give Beverly a quick peck on the cheek when he noticed her stricken expression and said in a much softer voice, “Thanks for the invite Big Red. Let’s hang when I’m feeling less like a depressed piece of shit.” He patted her cheek once and the redhead shooed his hand away with a roll of her eyes.

“Fuck you, Tozier,” she said without any real heat.

Richie raised a hand in goodbye without turning around and left the dorm.

“Well,” Beverly said after a moment, looking around the room. “This party was a total bust. So much for having fun on Halloween.”

“N-No B-Bev, I had f-fun,” Bill said with a smile, Mike nodding his head in agreement. “M-M-Maybe we can tr-tr-try this ag-again another t-time.”

“Yeah babe,” Ben added as he put an arm around her. “It was fun, even with Jackson acting all weird.”

Beverly rolled her eyes again, trying to stop the smile from forming on her face. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks guys.”

Mike wrapped her in a firm, but gentle hug and waved goodbye at the rest of the group before leaving.

“I g-guess I sh-should pr-pr-probably head back too,” Bill said, standing up from his spot on the bed. He looked to Stan expectantly, but the other boy waved him off with a smile.

“You go ahead, Bill. I want to stay and talk to Beverly real quick.”

Beverly turned to look at him curiously and Stan glanced at her, shaking his head minutely.

“Ben, baby, you can leave too if you want,” Beverly said suddenly. “I’ll get Stan to help me clean up.”

Both Bill and Ben looked between them in confusion, brows furrowed, but nodded and gave their respective goodbyes before leaving the dorm, the door clicking shut quietly behind them.

“What?” Beverly asked, turning to look at Stan as soon as the door shut.

Stan hesitated for a moment, biting on his bottom lip and looking out the window. “It’s about Jackson. I don’t like him.”

Beverly groaned. “Oh not you too Stan.”

“C’mon Bev! You can’t seriously think Jackson’s behavior tonight was normal,” he implores. “Doesn’t he remind you of—”

“A little bit.” Beverly cuts him off. “But I _know_ Eddie. And he would _never_ put himself in the same situation as before. You gotta give him some credit, Stan. Eddie’s tough. Let’s just… give Jackson a chance?”

Stan stared at her unblinkingly for a moment before blowing out a little breath and nodding. “Fine. Whatever. I still don’t trust him though.”

———————

“Let’s have a talk, Eddie.”

Eddie anxiously repeated those 5 little words over and over again in his head on their way back to the other boy’s apartment. He was suddenly afraid that Jackson was going to break up with him. Nothing good ever came from the words “let’s have a talk,”— especially not when they were to be in private. Eddie only hoped Jackson would let him down gently. He sneaked furtive little glances up at the blond boy, only to see him staring resolutely ahead, his hand still in a strong grip around Eddie’s.

There remained a tense, silent atmosphere all the way up to Jackson’s apartment that Eddie was too afraid to break. Once the door shut behind them, Jackson toed his shoes off and went directly to the kitchen, leaving Eddie standing awkwardly in the entranceway. He had only been to Jackson’s once before and wasn’t at all comfortable in the other boy’s space.

“What are you just standing there for?” Jackson asked, poking his head out. He beckoned for Eddie to come towards him and Eddie hastily untied his sneakers, leaving them carefully by the front door.Jackson snorted. “Always so polite,” he muttered, soft and low enough that Eddie is sure he wasn’t supposed to hear.

Eddie stood awkwardly at the foot of the kitchen, hands wringing together as his eyes darted nervously around the place. “Um.” He cleared his throat. “You wanted to talk?” He questioned in a small voice.

Jackson said nothing for a moment. Just stared at Eddie with an odd look over the rim of his cup. He took a long sip before setting his glass down on the counter and gently grabbed Eddie’s arm as he passed by, dragging them into the living room. He sat down on the couch and motioned for Eddie to do the same.

Eddie was feeling incredibly anxious now. He sat with his hands in his lap and stared nervously at Jackson’s reflection through the black TV screen.

“Eddie,” Jackson finally said, catching the smaller boy’s eyes in the TV. “You like me, don’t you? You care about me?” He asked in a soft voice.

“What? Of course I do,” Eddie responded, turning to him as his nose wrinkled in confusion.

Jackson hummed. “Really?”

Eddie nodded his head.

“Then tell me, Eddie, why you’re flirting with Richie Tozier, when you’re supposed to be with _me?” _Jackson’s hand shot out and gripped Eddie’s bare thigh on the last word that had the smaller boy jolting in surprise.

“_What?”_ Eddie squeaked. “I wasn’t— We weren’t—”

“_Don’t lie to me,” _Jackson growled through his gritted teeth, his tone taking on a more dangerous edge that had Eddie stuck to his seat in fear. His grip on Eddie’s thigh tightened. “I saw you, Eddie— _Eddie Bear,”_ he mocked. “Is that why you wore these shorts?” He ran his hand higher up Eddie’s thigh, tickling the hem of the shorts with two fingers. “So you could show off your legs to _Richie?” _He spat the name out like it burned his tongue.

“N-N-No,” Eddie stuttered, eyes wide. “R-Richie and I, we’re—we’re just f-friends.”

Jackson let out a bark of laughter that lacked any real humor. “You sound like your idiot st-st-stuttering fr-fr-friend B-B-B-Bill,” he mocked nastily.

“Hey!” Eddie cried, brows furrowed in anger. “Don’t fucking say that about him.”

Jackson’s smile slipped off his face. “What did you just say?”

“I said don’t make fun of Bill,” Eddie said resolutely, either ignoring or not noticing the dangerous glint in Jackson’s eyes. “If you’re mad at me, fine, but don’t drag my friends into this.”

Jackson let out another laugh, this time in disbelief. “Mad at you?” He repeated. “I’m not mad at you.” The blond grabbed Eddie’s chin and tilted it towards him, forcing the smaller boy to look into his eyes. “I’m _mad_ at that slut, Richie, but not _you. _I’m just…” he trailed off and looked away, letting out a deep sigh. “Disappointed,” he finished.

Eddie bit his lips in an attempt to hold back his defense against Richie.

Jackson flicked his gaze back to Eddie’s wide, brown eyes. “I never took you for a cheater, Eddie.”

“I never chea—”

The hands gripping Eddie’s thigh and chin tightened. “_Do not_ interrupt me when I’m speaking to you, Eddie,” Jackson hissed. “Flirting is still cheating in my book. Understand?” He brought his face down closer to the smaller boy. “You’re with me now,” Jackson said softly, his breath fanning across Eddie’s scrunched up face. “And if there’s one thing you should know about being with me: I don’t tolerate cheaters. You’re not a cheater, right, Eddie? You said so yourself: you _like _me. You _care_ about me— and you don’t want to disappoint the people you care about.”

Eddie could do nothing but stare up into Jackson’s cold, blue eyes. His breaths were starting to come out in short little puffs and he wished desperately now more than ever that he had packed his damn inhaler with him before the party.

Jackson flicked his gaze between Eddie’s eyes, searching, before tightening his grip on Eddie’s chin that had the smaller boy crying out in pain. “Answer me, Eddie.”

“N-No, I don’t want to disappoint you,” Eddie said in a muffled voice, his cheeks and lips squished from the force of Jackson’s grip. He breathed a sigh of relief when Jackson lowered his hand and moved away from Eddie’s face.

“Good,” Jackson said with a smile that looked more sinister than kind. “I care about you a lot, Eddie.” He loosened his grip on Eddie’s thigh and rubbed the reddening the skin gently. “And since you care about me too, how about you promise me you’ll never wear these shorts again? _Especially _not around Richie Tozier. That flirt could barely keep his eyes off of you tonight,” he spat. “Okay, babe?”

“Okay,” Eddie breathed, eyes wide. “I’m sorry.”

Jackson’s smile turned kinder, his previous cold, blue eyes warming up as he stared at Eddie with a gentle expression on his face. “No need to apologize. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m glad we had this talk, Eddie,” he said as he grabbed a blanket off the back of his couch and wrapped it around Eddie, taking care to hide his legs.

Eddie could do nothing but sit stoic still and stare ahead, wishing desperately that he were still with his friends, with _Richie_, back in the safety of Beverly’s dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jackson is a year older than the losers which is why he has his own place instead of dorming


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im gonna be honest guys. i hate this chapter. it's probably my least favorite chapter that i’ve written so far (chapter 2 being not that far behind lol), but this was needed so i can get to the more interesting parts of the story. also, i finished this while i was half asleep at like 3am so… forgive me if it doesn’t flow with the rest of the story?? idk…. im just making excuses for myself. enjoy <3

It was two days after the disastrous Halloween party and Richie still wasn’t feeling any better about Jackson. After leaving Bev’s dorm, he had wanted nothing more than to go straight to Eddie’s, only to realize in frustration that he had no idea where the other boy lived. Not only that, but he was probably with _Jackson _anyways. Richie grimaced just thinking about the too tall, too tan, too _un-Richie_ like boy. If that was the type of guy Eddie liked, so be it. Richie knew deep down that Eddie was too good for the likes of him anyway. He just wished that Eddie was with anybody other than the real life version of Ken.

Richie checked his phone again and let out a sigh of frustration when he saw that Eddie _still_ hadn’t responded to his multiple texts from the past two days and the few he had hastily sent before class that morning. He clumsily shoved his phone into his jacket pocket and quickened his steps when he neared the big, wooden doors to the library, hoping to a god he didn’t believe in, that Stan, or better yet, Eddie, would be there instead of Jackass Jackson.

“Bill?” Richie asked in confusion when he noticed the familiar figure of his friend standing by the front counter.

The other boy turned at the sound of his name and smiled when he saw who was calling him. “H-Hey Richie.”

“What are you doing here? Have you seen Eddie?”

Bill frowned. “I-I’m w-waiting for S-St-Stan,” he replied, using his thumb to motion over his shoulder at the backroom. “A-And I don’t th-think E-Eddie’s working today. You d-d-didn’t know?”

Richie drew his eyebrows together. “No, he’s been ignoring my texts since Bev’s party.”

Bill’s face softened in sympathy. “Maybe y-you c-c-can ask St-Stan?”

“Ask me what?” Stan asked, walking out of the backroom and rounding the counter. He stood by Bill and crossed his arms, nodding his head at Richie. “Hey Trashmouth.”

“Do you know where Eddie is?” Richie asked, ignoring Stan’s greeting.

“Dejavu,” Stan mumbled in amusement. “I seem to remember the three of us having this exact conversation a few weeks ago.”

Richie huffed impatiently, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I don’t have time for your fancy french words, Staniel. Just tell me where Eddie is.”

Stan rolled his eyes. “I don’t know where Eddie is— and like I said the last time you asked, I wouldn’t tell you even if I did.”

“Hey!” Richie cried, affronted. “Eds and I are friends now! He would _want _me to know where he was,” Richie said earnestly.

“I’m sure,” Stan deadpanned. “Why don’t you just text Eddie and ask him where he is?”

“H-He already d-d-did,” Bill hastily responded before Richie could get a wiseass comment in.

Stan furrowed his eyebrows at them. “You did?” He asked, looking at Richie. “And he didn’t respond?”

“Obviously not, Stanothy. That’s why I’m here asking _you_ where my spaghetti man is.”

“M-M-Maybe he’s w-with J-J-Jackson,” Bill said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Stan’s eyes narrowed. “Give me a second,” he said, pulling his phone out from his back pocket.

(5:19pm) _Stan: Where are you?_

(5:19pm) Eddie: my dorm

(5:19pm) Eddie: why

(5:19pm) _Stan: Is Jackson there?_

(5:20pm) Eddie: no why?

(5:20pm) _Stan: Why aren’t you responding to_ _Richie?_

(5:23pm) Eddie: idk

(5:23pm) _Stan: Eddie_

(5:23pm) Eddie: what

(5:24pm) _Stan: Did something happen with Jackson?_

(5:24pm) Eddie: no

(5:24pm) Eddie: why would u think that

(5:24pm) Eddie: and what does he even have to do with richie???

(5:25pm) _Stan: You’ve been acting strange since Bev’s._

(5:25pm) Eddie: no i havent

(5:25pm) _Stan: Seriously, Eddoseuf_

(5:25pm) Eddie: ?

(5:26pm) _Stan: EDDIE SPAGHETTI_

(5:26pm) _Stan: UR GONNA RESPOND 2 STAN BUT NOT ME???_

(5:30pm) Eddie: god dammit

(5:30pm) _Stan: STAY WHERE U R I’LL BE THERE SOON_

(5:31pm) _Stan: Sorry, Eddie. Richie took my phone and threatened to start screaming on top of the counter unless I told him where your dorm was._

(5:31pm) Eddie: lol i believe it

(5:31pm) Eddie: it’s fine

“MWAH!” Richie dropped down from the counter and grabbed Stan’s face in both hands, planting a big kiss on his cheek. “I knew I could count on you Stan the Man!” He cried, as he sped walked towards the library doors.

“Eugh!” Stan dropped his phone in surprise and glared at Richie’s retreating figure as he used the back of his hand to wipe at his face. “That’s so disgusting.”

“H-Hands to y-yourself, Tr-Tr-Trashmouth! H-he’s taken,” Bill called out, but Richie was already gone. “S-S-Sorry ab-b-bout him,” Bill sighed, turning back to Stan.

“You don’t have to apologize for everything he does, Bill,” Stan said with a fond roll of his eyes, a light blush gracing his cheeks at the other boy’s former words. They’ve been dating for nearly two weeks now, but Stan still tended to get shy around Bill.

Bill let out a breath of laughter. “C-can’t he-help it,” he said with a one armed shrug. “It’s j-j-just habit n-now.” There was a small moment of comfortable silence. Then, “Is ev-ev-everything o-k-kay with Eddie? Y-you d-don’t have to t-t-tell me anyth-th-thing if y-you don’t want,” Bill quickly added when he noticed the expression on Stan’s face.

Stan blew out a small breath and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Eddie won’t tell me anything. Maybe I’m just worrying about nothing,” he mumbled, almost to himself.

“I’m sure E-E-Eddie’s f-fine,” Bill said, hesitantly placing an arm around the slightly taller boy’s waist. Neither one of them were really fans of PDA, but the library was nearly empty and Stan looked like he could use a little bit of comfort.

The curly haired boy looked down at Bill fondly, his lips set in a small smile as he leaned in to the other boy’s touch. “Yeah, I’m sure Eddie’s fine,” he repeated softly. He let out another small sigh and tried to ignore the nagging feeling in his gut that something was not quite right with his closest friend.

———————

“God fucking damnit,” Eddie repeated to himself for the 7th time that evening when he heard Richie bellowing outside of his dorm. He yanked open the door and grabbed Richie’s arm, pulling him abruptly inside. “Can you just shut the fuck up for 5 seconds? Do you know how loud you’re being right now? Jesus fucking Christ.” He shut the door with a huff and turned to face Richie. “What are you doing here?”

“Why are you ignoring me?”

Eddie rolled his eyes and huffed again, slipping past Richie to nervously mess with the papers on his desk just to have something to do with his hands. “I’m not ignoring you.”

“Uh, yeah Eds, you kinda are.”

“That’s not my name, dickwad,” Eddie snapped. “And no, I’m not.”

“Then why aren’t you responding to my texts?” Richie asked, stepping closer so that his front was nearly flush with Eddie’s back.

Eddie stiffened. “I’ve been busy.”

Richie snorted. “With Jackson?”

Eddie deigned not to respond and instead took a few steps to the side so that he wasn’t in such close contact with the other boy. “With things,” he mumbled vaguely.

“Oh, come _on,” _Richie cried, running a hand through his already wild curls in frustration. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“_Fine_, you nosy little asshole,” Eddie finally said after a moment. He let out a deep breath before saying in a quiet voice, “I’m worried about going back home over Thanksgiving break, okay?”

Richie stared at him in disbelief. “_That’s_ what you’ve been so hot and bothered about these last few days?”

“Yeah,” Eddie mumbled quietly, not quite meeting his gaze.

“Why?” Richie asked suspiciously.

Eddie groaned and buried his face in his hands, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “_Because,” _he started, lifting his head back up. “My mom, she—” he cut himself off and hesitated, staring hard at the floor in front of him.

“What?” Richie asked gently, sitting himself down on the mattress by Eddie. “You can tell me anything, you know that, right, Eds?”

“It’s just so fucking stupid,” Eddie bit out angrily. “Ever heard of Munchausen by Proxy?” He asked after a moment.

Richie shook his head yes. “Isn’t that when someone is convinced the person in their care or whatever is sick when they’re really not?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “My mom has it. I grew up thinking I was the sickest, most fragile person on this entire earth,” he said with a humorless laugh. “It wasn’t until I was in my fucking freshman year of high school that I found out through my pharamacist's daughter that all the medication I was prescribed were just placebos. You know I don’t even have asthma?”

There was a moment of brief silence as Richie racked his brain for something to say. “Wow, Eds. I’m really sorry.”

Eddie let out another humorless laugh. “Sorry about what, asshole? It’s not your fault my mom’s crazy.”

Richie stared at Eddie’s profile sadly. “I know, but still. I’m sorry you went through that Eds— nobody deserves that,” he said sincerely. “Um, you know,” Richie said after a small pause, “if it makes you feel any better, my parents aren’t that great either.” He fidgeted uncomfortably with his hands when he saw out of the corner of his eye the smaller boy glance up at him.

“Oh,” Eddie breathed.

“Yep,” Richie said, popping the p. “Maggie— my mother,” he elaborated when he caught Eddie’s confused expression, “loves alcohol more than she loves her one and only son.” Richie scratched the back of his neck nervously. “She was usually so drunk that she forgot I even existed. That’s why I’m so skinny— she always forgot to feed me,” Richie joked without any real humor. “Uh, anyways, my dad was pretty useless and split when things with Maggie got real bad so,” he shrugged and cleared his throat. “Bill found out, of course, and demanded I move in with him and his family, so I’ve been annoying the Denbrough’s to death since junior year of high school,” Richie said with a grin. He swallowed nervously. “So, yeah, I owe a lot to Big Bill. He’s like the family I never had.” Richie, to his horror, felt unshed tears about to fall over, and he quickly tilted his head up to the ceiling to prevent them from spilling over.

“Wow, Richie,” Eddie said softly after a moment. “I didn’t know.” The smaller boy leaned in and grabbed his hand. “I’m glad you had Bill, though. And I’m really glad you told me, Rich” he added.

Richie looked down at their joined hands and tried to will away the fluttering in his stomach from that simple contact. “Yeah, me too,” he responded just as softly. His breath hitched when he felt Eddie gently rub his thumb back and forth against Richie’s hand. “Hey,” he exclaimed suddenly, pulling his hand out from under Eddie’s. “If you don’t want to go back home over break, you can stay with me and Bill! Bill’s parents are going out of town and my folks don’t really do Thanksgiving, for obvious reasons, so Billius and I decided to hold a Friendsgiving this year. I think Bev might actually stay back too— and if Bev stays back, I bet Ben will too.”

“Really?” Eddie blinked. “You guys wouldn’t mind?”

Richie snorted. “What kind of question is that? Of course we wouldn’t mind.”

Eddie turned to face him. “Count me in,” he said after a moment, staring up at Richie through his long, dark lashes with an open and happy expression on his face.

_Beautiful, _Richie blearily thought to himself. He stared into Eddie’s wide, brown eyes and tried desperately to calm the thudding of his heart. Sometime during their conversation, they had scooted towards each other, and Richie was now close enough that he could map out freckled constellations on Eddie’s face.

_Beautiful, but not mine._

The thought hit him like a freight train and he hastily scooted back.

Eddie blinked at him once, twice, before flushing and also scooting away.

“Awesome,” Richie croaked, swallowing past the dryness in his throat. “Thanksgiving is going to be 10 times better now that I know my spaghetti man is gonna be my side,” Richie joked weakly. _Beautiful, but not mine. _Eddie smiled at him fondly, shaking his head at the nickname. Richie smiled back and tried to ignore the dull ache in his chest. _Beautiful. But not mine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did eddie just use his mother and thanskgiving as an excuse so he didn't have to tell richie what was REALLY bothering him? the answer is yes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter consists entirely of texting hope u guys dont mind. I decided not to use the different text styles in the group chat bc there are only so many combinations you can do before you run out. I’ll only be using the specific text styles (ex: bold, italicized, etc) when it’s just one on one texting!

_Trashmouth_ _added eds spaghetti man bear <3, stanusanus, billiam, MikenIke, benothy, and BIG RED to the chat_

_Trashmouth renamed the chat ‘LOSERS CLUB’_

(4:01pm) Trashmouth: the loser’s club meeting has officially begun!

(4:01pm) Trashmouth: *bangs imaginary bong*

(4:01pm) Trashmouth: gong*

(4:01pm) Trashmouth: but bong too xD

(4:02pm) stanusanus: I hate this already.

_stanusanus changed his name to Stan_

(4:02pm) MikenIke: What is this?

(4:02pm) Trashmouth: a group chat for LOSERS

(4:03pm) MikenIke: Hello losers

(4:03pm) benothy: Hi guys :)

(4:03pm) billiam: hey

(4:04pm) BIG RED: hi babies

(4:04pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: what the fuck

_eds spaghetti man bear <3 changed his name to Eddie_

(4:05pm) Trashmouth: awwww eds ur no fun ;P

(4:05pm) Trashmouth: it’s ok u may be able to change ur name in group chats but not in 1:1 chats

(4:05pm) Trashmouth: mwahahaha

(4:05pm) BIG RED: hey richard what the fuck

(4:05pm) benothy: Haha

(4:06pm) MikenIke: As much as we love you Rich, why’d you create this chat?

(4:06pm) Trashmouth: i love u 2 buddy-o <33

(4:06pm) Trashmouth: not as much as i love my good ole spaghetti man but

(4:06pm) Eddie: shut the fuck up

(4:07pm) Stan: You can’t flirt in a private chat? You have to bring all of us into this?

(4:07pm) BIG RED: LMAO

(4:07pm) BIG RED: leave rich alone stan the dude’s in Love

(4:08pm) Trashmouth: yeah stan leave rich alone ;(

(4:08pm) Eddie: u assholes realize im like right here right

(4:08pm) Eddie: like i can read what ur saying

(4:08pm) Trashmouth: ANYWAYS

(4:09pm) Trashmouth: @mike i made this chat 2 ask you all a Very Important Question

(4:09pm) benothy: What is it?

(4:09pm) Trashmouth: wat’s everyone’s plan for thanksgiving break?? :D

(4:09pm) Trashmouth: bill eds and i are having friendsgiving if u losers want 2 join

(4:09pm) Trashmouth: hey where is bill

(4:10pm) Stan: He’s here.

(4:10pm) Trashmouth: ominous… that’s sexy

(4:11pm) billiam: richie please

(4:11pm) Stan: Are you holding Friendsgiving on actual Thanksgiving?

(4:11pm) Stan: Oh, nevermind. Bill just said it’ll be the day after.

(4:11pm) billiam: also just fyi, my cousin’s flying down to texas with her fiance to visit her family for Thanksgiving so they said we could use their apartment for the night :)

(4:11pm) billiam: they live about 20 minutes away from campus so it’s not that far

(4:12pm) MikenIke: Aw man I really wish I could, but I wont be back in town until the day before classes start again

(4:12pm) benothy: Me too :(

(4:12pm) billiam: bummer :( maybe we can all plan something once everybody is back together

(4:12pm) Stan: I get back on campus Friday morning, so I’ll be able to make it to Friendsgiving if it’s being held that night.

(4:12pm) Trashmouth: wait @stan r u and bill together rn???

(4:12pm) Trashmouth: r u guys fucking?? ;)

(4:12pm) MikenIke: My life was so peaceful before this chat existed

(4:12pm) Eddie: my life was peaceful before i knew richie existed

(4:12pm) Trashmouth: double ouch </3

(4:13pm) BIG RED: pls guys im in class and i just snorted so loud

(4:13pm) BIG RED: also friendsgiving sounds so cute and fun!! im down :)

(4:13pm) Trashmouth: u snort that good shit bev??

(4:13pm) Trashmouth: and by good shit i mean smarties

(4:13pm) Trashmouth: crush that shit up and pretend like ur snorting coke xD

(4:14pm) Stan: What’s it like to live a life not knowing Richie? Spectacular, I’m guessing.

(4:14pm) BIG RED: LOL i literally felt stan’s eyeroll through the screen

(4:14pm) Trashmouth: plz ur pathetic lives would b meaningless w/out me <3

(4:15pm) billiam: i’m sitting across from him and I can confirm that Stan did in fact roll his eyes

(4:16pm) benothy: Lol Stan your eyes are going to get stuck like that one day

(4:16pm) Trashmouth: hey bill does stan roll his eyes in bed too

(4:17pm) Trashmouth: like wat if u guys r fucking and instead of stan having an o face he just rolls his eyes xD

(4:17pm) Trashmouth: record it for me next time :P

(4:17pm) MikenIke: Jesus

(4:18pm) BIG RED: lmaoooo beep beep

(4:18pm) billiam: beep beep Richie

(4:18pm) Stan: Beep beep. Also, just why?

(4:18pm) Eddie: what the actual fuck beep beep asshole oh my god

(4:18pm) BIG RED: did we really all just send the same thing at the same time

(4:18pm) BIG RED: great minds think alike

(4:19pm) Trashmouth: more like u guys r all dumb and share 1 brain cell ;(

(4:19pm) Trashmouth: also wtf only stan used 2 say that to me?? is this gonna b a thing now???

(4:19pm) Trashmouth: REJECTION UR HONOR!

(4:19pm) MikenIke: Lol beep beep, I like that. I’m gonna have to start using that now.

(4:20pm) Trashmouth: >.>

(4:20pm) benothy: Okay… well on that note I’m going to go study now.

(4:20pm) benothy: Bye guys! See you after break :)

(4:20pm) MikenIke: Me too, gotta leave this conversation while I still can. Bye guys!

(4:20pm) Eddie: me three gonna go before rich says anymore dumb shit

(4:21pm) Stan: I gotta get back to work too. See you guys.

(4:21pm) Trashmouth: EDDIE MY LOVE NOOOO </3

(4:22pm) Trashmouth: also @stan if ur at work y is bill there

(4:22pm) billiam: ?? you visit Eddie all the time when he’s working

(4:22pm) Trashmouth: ya got me there billius

(4:22pm) Trashmouth: anyways

(4:22pm) Trashmouth: don’t forget to record u and staniel fucking ok

(4:22pm) billiam: oh my god Richie goodbye

(4:23pm) BIG RED: richie you literally scared everybody off

(4:23pm) Trashmouth: they can run but they cant hide

(4:23pm) Trashmouth: losers 4ever

———————

(4:52pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: hey

(4:52pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: is it ok if jackson joins us for friendsgiving

(4:52pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: it’s ok if u or bill dont want him there

(4:53pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: it’s just that he was supposed to be back at home all break but he just texted me saying he was gonna be back on campus friday and wanted to do something together

(4:53pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: but i also want to be with u guys on friday so

(4:53pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: and if he does come u guys can get to know him a little more??? since we left bev’s kinda early on halloween

(4:54pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: u dont have to say yes though

(4:54pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: so like… don’t feel pressured to

(4:55pm) **Trashmouth: whoa calm down eds it’s ok**

(4:55pm) **Trashmouth:i dont rly like him but watever ya he can come**

(4:55pm) **Trashmouth: as long as ur there idc**

(4:56pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: wait what

(4:56pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: why don’t you like him?

(4:56pm) **Trashmouth: bc he’s with u and im not  
**_The message to eds spaghetti man bear <3 failed to send_

(4:56pm) **Trashmouth:** **idk he gave me weird ~vibes~**

(4:56pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: …

(4:56pm) **Trashmouth: dw about it eds :P**

(4:56pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: uh i kinda am worrying about it asshole bc i wanna know why one of my best friends doesn’t like my boyfriend???

(4:57pm)** Trashmouth: we’re best friends?**

(4:57pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: duh dipshit

(4:57pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: idk how the fuck it happened bc i wanted to punch u in the throat 24/7 when we first met u were so fucking annoying i swear to god

(4:57pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: and dont get me wrong u still are

(4:58pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: but it’s slightly more tolerable now

(4:58pm)** Trashmouth: soooo basically what im hearing is my spaghetti man luvs me and sees me as his bestest friend in the whole wide world**

(4:58pm) **Trashmouth: hey wait best friends fuck sometimes right xD**

(4:58pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: i lied it’s not tolerable at all

(4:59pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: shut the fuck up rich

(4:59pm) eds spaghetti man bear <3: i’ll see u next week

(4:59pm) **Trashmouth: looking forward to it eddie bear <3**

———————

(4:55pm) **Trashmouth: so apparently jackson is going 2 join us 4 friendsgiving ;(******

(4:55pm)** billiam: oh cool**

(4:56pm)** billiam: it’ll be nice to see him again, I haven’t since bev’s**

(4:56pm)** Trashmouth: no billiam ur supposed 2 say NO he can’t come ;(**

(4:56pm) **billiam: why?**

(4:56pm) **Trashmouth: i dont likeeeeee himmmmm billllyyyyyy**

(4:57pm) **billiam: you’re only saying thatbecause you’re in love with Eddie**

(4:58pm) **Trashmouth: no bill i seriously get weird vibes off of him ok??**

(4:58pm) **Trashmouth: didn’t u see him at bev’s??**

(4:58pm) **Trashmouth: soooooooo sketch**

(5:00pm)** billiam: I thought we established it was because you were flirting with Eddie? you know, Jackson’s BOYFRIEND?**

(5:00pm)** billiam: you know I love you Richie, but come on. even you gotta see that flirting with another guy’s man is not cool**

(5:00pm)** Trashmouth: i wasn’t flirting w/ eds we were just TALKING**

(5:00pm) **billiam: Richie you flirt with Eddie everytime you see him**

(5:01pm) **Trashmouth: ok fine maybe i do but i cant help it bill he’s so cute**

(5:01pm)** Trashmouth: and god dammit it pisses me off that jackass jackson got 2 him before i could**

(5:01pm) **Trashmouth: when i saw them together at bev’s i thought i was going 2 throw up**

(5:01pm) **Trashmouth: i like him so much bill**

(5:02pm)** Trashmouth: i’ve never felt this way about anybody else before**

(5:04pm) **billiam: wow Richie**

(5:04pm)** billiam: I didn’t realize you were this serious about him**

(5:04pm)** billiam: I know it must be tough to see Eddie with someone else, but at least you know he’s happy with Jackson?**

(5:05pm) **billiam: maybe just give Jackson a chance. from what I’ve seen, Eddie seems like a good judge of character. I’m sure he wouldn’t be with Jackson if he’s as bad as you think he is**

(5:06pm) **Trashmouth :(**

(5:06pm) **Trashmouth: ur right i guess**

(5:06pm) **Trashmouth: i just want eds to be happy**

(5:06pm) **Trashmouth: even if he’s not w me**

(5:07pm) **Trashmouth: so i guess ill b civil**

(5:07pm) **Trashmouth: for eddie’s sake**

(5:07pm) **billiam: that’s the spirit :)**

———————

(4:48pm) Jackson: What are you doing the Friday after Thanksgiving? I’ll be back in town that morning. Let’s grab dinner?

(5:11pm) Eddie: sorry for the late response

(5:11pm) Eddie: actually my friends and i were planning on having a friendsgiving that night

(5:11pm) Eddie: rich and bill are hosting at bill’s cousin’s apartment and they invited us :)

(5:13pm) Jackson: I was hoping it would be just us two that night Eddie. I won’t be seeing you at all during break until Friday and you want to spend my first day back with your friends?

(5:13pm) Eddie: i know :(

(5:13pm) Eddie: im really sorry jackson

(5:13pm) Eddie: but rich invited me weeks ago and i promised him i would go

(5:13pm) Eddie: and bill too

(5:20pm) Jackson: Richie again huh?

(5:20pm) Eddie: bev and stan will be there too

(5:20pm) Eddie: u remember bev right? the redhead

(5:22pm) Jackson: Of course I do Eddie.

(5:23pm) Jackson: Well, since you already promised your friends, I guess you can go.

(5:23pm) Eddie: maybe we can have a date night saturday?

(5:23pm) Jackson: Sure. What time does Friendsgiving start?

(5:23pm) Eddie: 8 and bill said his cousin’s is 20 min away from campus

(5:23pm) Jackson: I’ll pick you up at 7:35 then.

(5:24pm) Eddie: thanks jackson :) im really excited  
_Read at 5:24pm_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I'm sorry it's been SO long since I've updated. I've been pretty busy lately and hadn't had the time to really sit down and write, but I'm back now YAY! 
> 
> Hope you all will enjoy this chapter <3 And please leave comments!! They keep me going :)
> 
> TW //  
There is a scene of domestic abuse in this chapter so please be warned.

“Stop that, Eddie.”

Eddie turned to look at Jackson’s side profile in confusion. “Stop what?

“Shaking your leg,” Jackson pointed out, staring straight at the road ahead as he drove the two of them to Bill’s cousin’s place.

“Sorry,” Eddie responded meekly. “I didn’t notice I was doing it.” He turned his head to stare out the window again at the passing scenery and pretended not to hear Jackson’s snort. The other boy had seemed to be in a terrible mood from the moment he had knocked on Eddie’s door. Eddie knew better than to ask what was wrong. Instead, he tried to remain as small and quiet as possible in the hopes that Jackson would get over whatever was bothering him on his own. He let out a little sigh and rested his head against the window, embracing the feeling of the cool glass.

“Eddie,” Jackson grit out again after a moment. “_Stop_ bouncing your fucking leg.” A hand shot out to grab hard at Eddie’s knee and Eddie jolted in surprise. “I’m not going to ask you again.” The hand still on the steering wheel tightened, the knuckles turning white.

Eddie muttered another hasty apology and crossed his feet, staring hard at the hand clutching his knee until they finally arrived. He quickly got out of the car, wincing when the cold, crisp air hit his face and tugged both his jacket and scarf a little tighter around himself as they walked up the flight of stairs to reach the apartment.

The two didn’t have to wait long until the door was being opened to reveal Stan standing in the entranceway with a warm smile on his face.

“Hey Eddie, Jackson. Happy Thanksgiving.” He opened the door wider for them and stepped aside, allowing the two boys to escape the chilly air and enter the warmth and coziness of the apartment.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Both Eddie and Jackson parroted back as they shrugged out of their many layers.

Suddenly, a loud voice sounded from the kitchen. “IS THAT EDS I HEAR?”

There was a muffled thump and a clattering of pans before Richie emerged from the kitchen, an enormous smile on his face as he met Eddie’s eyes.

“EDS! MERRY THANKSGIVING!” Richie shouted joyously. “GOBBLE GOBBLE!”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh warmly at the other boy’s antics. “Happy Thanksgiving Rich,” he said sincerely, eyes twinkling and lips curving up into a big smile. He felt his cheeks warm when he saw Richie’s reaction and quickly glanced away, clearing his throat. Eddie stiffened when he felt a hand snake around his waist. Stupidly, _so_ stupidly, he had momentarily forgotten that Jackson was beside him.

“Hello Richie. Happy Thanksgiving,” Jackson said cooly, a stark difference from the way Eddie had said the same words just a few seconds before.

“Jackson,” Richie said politely in a tone of voice Eddie had never heard him use before, “Happy Thanksgiving. I’m so glad you could make it.” He didn’t sound very glad at all.

Jackson smirked. “Glad to be here.”

Richie and Jackson stared at each other, sizing the other up, and Eddie looked between the two nervously for a moment before tugging softly at Jackson’s sleeve. “Let’s go say hi to Bev and Bill.”

Richie winked at Eddie as they passed and Eddie ignored it, hoping desperately that Jackson hadn’t seen. They walked into the kitchen together, Jackson’s hand now in Eddie’s own, and Eddie’s stomach growled as the tantalizing scent of the various foods overcame him.

“Eddie!” Beverly exclaimed, turning from where she was making mashed potatoes. “Sorry, I would’ve gone out to say hi but Richie forced me to finish so he could see you before I could,” she said with a roll of her eyes. She glanced at Jackson and shot him a small smile. “Hey Jackson. Nice to see you again.”

“H-H-Hi guys,” Bill piped in, setting a large bowl down. “H-Happy Th-Th-Thanksgivng.”

Happy Thanksgiving,” Jackson returned easily, smiling at them.

“F-F-Food’s b-basically ready if you g-guys want to help s-s-set up.”

Jackson and Eddie grabbed the different dishes and carried them into the dining room, placing them on the large, modern, circular table in the spots Stan directed them to as Richie whined in the background.

“Come _on,_ Staniel,” Richie moaned. “Who the flying fuck cares where the food goes? It’s going to be demolished in less than five minutes anyways.”

Stan ignored him and grabbed the last plate— the main dish— from Eddie, as he set it gently down in the center of the table. “There,” he said firmly, taking a step back and crossing his arms, surveying the various assortment of foods. He raised his eyebrows. “Wow, this looks good. Are you sure you helped cook this?” He asked, glancing skeptically at Richie.

“Of course I did!” Richie said in mock hurt.

“Sure,” Bev said, joining in on the conversation as she walked into the dining room holding a bottle of wine. “If you wanna call doing Gordon Ramsay impressions ‘helping.’” She sat down and placed the wine on the table in front of her.

Stan snorted, slipping into his own seat. “That sounds more like him.”

“Be n-nice to R-R-Richie today,” Bill scolded, finally leaving the kitchen and joining his friends at the table. “It’s Th-Thanksgivng.”

“Yeah!” Richie yelled obnoxiously, clambering into the last, remaining seat between Beverly and Bill, the spots by Eddie already taken by Jackson and Stan.” Be nice to Richie!” He stuck his tongue out at Stan who just rolled his eyes, again, in response.

“Alright children, play nice,” Beverly scolded as she reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes she had worked so diligently on. “Let’s eat!”

———————

“I’m pregnant with the biggest fucking food baby right now,” Richie groaned as he leaned back in his seat and clutched his stomach. They had just finished their meals and were goofing off, chatting and laughing, as they waited a little for their food to digest before digging in to dessert. “Congrats Eds! You’re gonna be a dad! How do you feel about naming it after Bev if it’s a girl?” Richie joked as Beverly let out a surprised bark of laughter. He tried ignoring the very obvious warning look Bill was throwing at him as he grinned unabashedly at Eddie sitting across from him. He really couldn’t help but flirt and mess around with the smaller boy. Jackson or no Jackson. Eddie was just too cute—especially when he was wearing the oversized, pink sweater he had adorned when they had first met.

Richie startled when he felt a sharp kick to his leg. “Fuck,” he hissed as he glared at Bill who did nothing but give Richie a look. “What?”

Bill rolled his eyes and said in a soft voice so that only Richie could hear, “S-Stop staring at E-Ed-Eddie.”

“There’s no harm in staring!” Richie protested, leaning down to rub at his aching leg.

“Tell that to Jackson,” Bill responded, directing his gaze to the blond who was currently looking suspiciously between Richie and Eddie with a big frown.

Richie rolled his eyes and scoffed but deigned not to respond. Jackson was so _annoying. _There was nothing wrong with staring at Eddie. He was his _friend_ for Christ’s sake. Hell, he was Eddie’s friend before Eddie even knew who Jackson was, so the asshole would just have to deal with it.

Feeling rebellious,—but when did he not— he decided to throw caution to the wind and mess around with the smaller boy sitting across from him. It’s been too long since Richie’s gotten a proper reaction out of him and he missed how fiery and feisty Eddie could be. And besides, this wasn’t _technically_ flirting. He just wanted to goof around a bit and have fun. If it annoyed Jackson, well, that was just an added bonus.

With a sly smirk, Richie slid down a little in his seat, his long legs extended out under the table and stretched until he felt a socked foot with his own. _Bingo. _Carefully, he slid his foot up Eddie’s leg as he nonchalantly made conversation with Beverly. He briefly glanced at the other boy, but was confused to see that Eddie seemed to be acting like Richie _wasn’t _currently rubbing seductively up and down his leg. He narrowed his eyes and decided to up his game. Eddie, however, showed no signs of unease or annoyance— instead just laughed warmly at whatever Stan had just said. Richie drew his foot back in confusion. Either Eddie was a _really _good actor or Richie was playing footsie with the wrong guy. With a shrug and sigh of defeat, he turned his full attention back to the redhead sitting next to him. Eddie probably just didn’t want to make a scene at the table. It was Thanksgiving after all.

———————

Eddie cried out in pain as he slammed into the wall, a picture of Eddie, Stan, and Beverly taken in middle school falling to the floor with a crash.

“What the fuck did I fucking say to you, you little slut?” Jackson hissed as he stalked closer to the smaller boy. He jabbed a finger into Eddie’s chest. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? How fucking _dumb_ do you think I am?” He roared, fisting his hands in Eddie’s sweater and shoving him even harder against the wall.

Eddie tried desperately not to cry as he focused on keeping his breathing in check. “I don’t understand, Jackson,” Eddie pleaded. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, I _swear.”_

If possible, Jackson seemed to get angrier. “Oh you _swear, _huh,” the blond mocked. “Don’t fucking bullshit me, you whore,” he spat. “How long have you been cheating on me with Richie?”

“What?” Eddie’s eyes widened. “What are you _talking_ about?” He tried not to cringe at the harsh, hot breath hitting his face.

Jackson loosened his grip on Eddie’s sweater and took a step back. He started pacing back and forth and Eddie’s eyes followed his moving form in fear, daring not to move.

“You’re real good at playing _stupid, _Eddie-bear,” Jackson hissed with a humorless laugh. “Does that get you off? Playing footsie under the table around all your friends? Such a fucking whore, aren’t you Eds? I wonder what would have happened if I wasn’t there. I bet you would have begged to be fucked by Richie on the table in front of all your friends.”

Eddie stared wide eyed. “_What?_ We didn’t play footsie,” he said in a panic. “Jackson, please, Richie and I are just friends. I’m with _you_, okay? I wouldn’t lie to you,” Eddie pleaded gently, trying to calm the other boy down.

“_DON’T FUCKING LIE TO ME!” _Jackson grabbed the glass Tupperware container full of leftovers Bill had given him and threw it at the wall right by Eddie’s head, the glass exploding upon impact. The smaller boy let out a cry of pain as the broken glass cut his cheek.

Jackson stepped forward and yanked Eddie by his sweater, ripping it, and threw him into the side of his desk, knocking the breath out of him. He fell to the floor in pain and clutched at his side. “Please,” Eddie cried through broken sobs. “I’m sorry, Jackson. I’m really sorry. _Please_ stop,” he begged. His pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as the blond boy leaned down to grab a fistful of Eddie’s hair, yanking him back up to his feet. “Jackson!” Eddie cried out in pain, tears streaking his face.

Jackson tightened his grip on the smaller boy’s hair and tilted his head so Eddie was forced to look at him. “Now you’re sorry?”

“Yes, _yes, _God yes,” Eddie blubbered. “I’m _s-so sorry, _Jackson.” Eddie wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, but at this point, he didn’t care. All he cared about was doing and saying anything to get the other boy to stop hurting him.

Eddie reeled back in surprise, his breath knocked out of him as Jackson punched him hard in the stomach. He bent in half and clutched at his middle, taking a shaky step backward in fear as the other boy advanced towards him.

“What are you sorry for, baby?” Jackson asked softly as he leaned his face down into Eddie’s.

Eddie wracked his brain for the correct answer. “I-I’m sorry about m-messing around with R-Richie,” he stuttered through sobs. He needed his fucking inhaler. “It w-wont happen a-again.”

“Good answer, Eddie,” Jackson said. He ran a hand through Eddie’s hair and tilted his head to the side as he stared down at him with cold eyes. “Get up.”

Shakily, Eddie got to his feet and stared hard at Jackson’s shoes, refusing to meet the other boy’s eyes. He let out a surprised gasp of pain as the blond smacked his cheek in the same spot as he had been cut by the Tupperware glass.

“Look at me,” Jackson hissed.

Eddie fearfully met his eyes, blinking furiously through his tears.

“This was to teach you a lesson, okay?” Jackson said softly.“I didn’t _want_ to do this, Eddie. I don’t _like_ punishing you. I warned you about Richie last time, didn’t I? I warned you that I don’t tolerate cheaters and liars. This could have been prevented if you had just _listened,_” Jackson explained calmly. “Do you think you learned your lesson?”

Eddie nodded so vigorously he gave himself a headache. “Y-yes,” he hiccuped. “It’s m-my fault. I-I’m sorry,” his voice broke on the last word and another round of hot tears formed in his eyes making it hard to see the taller boy in front of him.

Jackson sighed. “I love you, Eddie. I don’t like seeing you like this.” He rubbed a thumb across Eddie’s cut cheek and the smaller boy flinched in pain. “I’ll give you the weekend to clean up. Date night’s cancelled tomorrow, but I’ll see you sometime after classes start again,” he warned. He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Eddie’s lips. “Thank Bill for hosting us tonight, okay?” Jackson didn’t bother to wait for a response before he grabbed his jacket from Eddie’s bed and shrugged it on.

Eddie remained frozen in his spot even after the door swung shut behind Jackson’s retreating form. It was only when his phone buzzed on the nightstand that he shook himself out of his state of shock and fear.

He looked around at the mess. His favorite picture of him, Stan, and Beverly was broken, the food his friends had worked so hard to make was smeared against the wall and floor, glass shards were littered everywhere, and the things on his desk had been toppled over. Eddie didn’t even know where to begin to clean. He just wanted to lay in bed and cry himself to sleep without having to worry about the mess.

Another quick succession of buzzes sounded and he hastily wiped at his face, wincing when he felt how tender his cheek felt. He already knew he was going to bruise on top of the cut. He quickly took a few puffs of his inhaler to try and calm his racing heart before reaching for his phone and unlocking it, playing idly with the rip Jackson had made in his favorite sweater. He felt a new wave of hot tears threatening to spill over and he blinked furiously down at his phone, reading the Loser’s Club chat coming in at rapid speed.

(10:47pm) Bill: thanks again for coming guys! it was fun :)

(10:47pm) Bill: and hopefully next time Mike and Ben can come too!

(10:47pm) Bill: oh actually do you guys want leftovers? we have a ton…

(10:47pm) Ben: Aw I’m glad you guys had fun! Next year for sure

(10:47pm) Bev: thanks for hosting us bill :)

(10:47pm) Bev: ben baby i have leftovers for u i’ll give it to u tomorrow

(10:48pm) Mike: Wish I could’ve been there!

(10:48pm) Mike: And thanks but I already have enough leftovers of my own. My aunt made way too much food… like always

(10:49pm) Stan: Bill did too.

(10:49pm) Bill: no it was Bev and Richie’s idea

(10:49pm) Bill: they kept telling me we needed to make more food

(10:49pm) Stan: Yes, because we always listen to Beverly and Richie.

(10:50pm) Bev: correct

(10:50pm) Bev: i am the queen here everybody should always listen to me

(10:50pm) Ben: It’s true guys. She’s a queen

(10:50pm) Mike: Awwww

(10:50pm) Bev: lol ben youre so cute :’)

(10:51pm) Richard.: bev’s not a queen she’s a troll

(10:51pm) Bev: excuse you

(10:51pm) Richard.: anyways not 2 get sappy or anything but i had fun tonight and im glad ur my friends :p

(10:51pm) Mike: Awwww again

(10:52pm) Stan.: That’s… oddly sincere. Are you sure this is Richie?

(10:52pm) Richard.: go fuck ur boyfriend or roll ur eyes some more instead of making fun of me

(10:52pm) Richard.: oh hey bill so does stan roll his eyes in bed or not u nvr answered

(10:52pm) Bev: aaaaand the moments ruined LMAO

(10:52pm) Richard.: :P

(10:53pm) Ben: I’m about to watch the polar express with my little cousins so I’ll talk to you guys later

(10:53pm) Bill: … thanksgiving was yesterday

(10:53pm) Bev: exactly

(10:53pm) Bev: which means it’s time for christmas

(10:53pm) Ben: Lol Bev is right. Anyways, goodnight guys! Happy Thanksgiving again

(10:54pm) Bev: *red heart emoji* see u tomorrow

(10:54pm) Bill: is Ben coming back tomorrow?

(10:54pm) Bev: no im driving down to see him :)

(10:54pm) Mike: That’s sweet

(10:54pm) Richard.: *gags*

(10:54pm) Stan: We all know you would do the same for Eddie if you had the chance.

(10:54pm) Bev: LOL

(10:55pm) Richard.: ur point???

(10:55pm) Richard.: i <3 my spaghetti man ok i would do anything for him

(10:55pm) Bill: Richie…

(10:55pm) Richard.: billiam…

(10:55pm) Richard: hey where is eds anyways

(10:55pm) Stan: Sleeping? It is pretty late.

(10:55pm) Richard.: ya maybe 2 old folks like u

(10:55pm) Richard.: but 2 us youngins it’s time 2 party xD

(10:55pm) Richard.: stan the man it’s time to be deceased ur too old

(10:56pm) Bev: wait aren’t you older than stan?

(10:56pm) Mike: Hahaha

(10:56pm) Stan: Yeah, shut up Trashmouth.

(10:56pm) Bill: maybe Eddie’s ignoring you bc he’s spending time with Jackson, his BOYFRIEND

(10:56pm) Richard.: sounds fake

(10:56pm) Bill: Richie… remember our conversation last time

(10:57pm) Mike: Well this is ominous

(10:57pm) Mike: I’m gonna go to sleep now though. Feeling stuffed and tired haha.

(10:57pm) Mike: Goodnight everybody!

(10:57pm) Stan: Goodnight, Mike.

(10:57pm) Bev: night mikey!!

(10:57pm) Richard.: NIGHT MIKENIKE

(10:57pm) Richard.: also i fucking h8 the way stan texts everything he says sounds so scary

(10:57pm) Richard.: Goodnight, Mike. I’m going to kill you in your sleep, Mike.

(10:58pm) Bill: night Mike :)

(10:58pm) Stan: Goodnight, Richard. I’m going to kill you in your sleep, Richard. Watch your back, Richard.

(10:58pm) Richard.: o_O

(10:58pm) Bev: play nice children

(10:58pm) Bev: we should probably stop texting in this so much in case eddie really is sleeping lol

(10:58pm) Bev: we’re probably blowing up his phone

(10:59pm) Bev: and ben is w his family and mike went to bed too so

(11:00pm) Richard.: KDJFKDFJKD

(11:00pm) Richard.: KDFJKD

(11:00pm) Richard.: KDJFKDFJ

(11:00pm) Richard.: KKSID

(11:00pm) Richard.: KDJFSLD

(11:00pm) Richard.: BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

(11:00pm) Richard.: EDS WAKE UP

(11:00pm) Richard.: MIKEY BOY WAKE UP

(11:00pm) Richard.: BENOTHY FORGET ABOUT UR FAMILY & COME TALK 2 US

(11:01pm) Bill: you’re such an asshole Richie

(11:01pm) Stan: Agreed.

(11:01pm) Richard.: but u all luv me <3333

(11:01pm) Bev: …god help us we really do

(11:01pm) Stan: Debatable.

(11:01pm) Richard.: AWWWW

(11:01pm) Richard.: <3333333

(11:01pm) Richard.: I LUV ALL OF U 2 <333

(11:01pm) Richard.: MERRY THANKSGIVING <3

———————

**(10:55pm) Richard.: edddddsssss r u awake?** ****

**(10:57pm) Richard.: eddie spaghettiiii!!!!** ****

**(11:01pm) Richard.: im glad u came to friendsgiving it was fun :D** ****

**(11:01pm) Richard.: hope u had fun 2 <3** ****

**(11:01pm) Richard.: r u rly sleeping?** ****

**(11:02pm) Richard.: it’s not even midnight yet** ****

**(11:11pm) Richard.: 11:11 EDS MAKE A WISH!!!!! HURRY!** ****

**(11:12pm) Richard.: did u make a wish? :D** ****

**(11:31pm) Richard.: ok sry bill keeps nagging at me 2 leave u alone** ****

**(11:31pm) Richard.: u must rly b sleeping :(** ****

**(11:32pm) Richard.: sweet dreams eds <3 thankful 4 u on this fine friendsgiving evening <3333** ****

**(11:32pm) Richard.: dont tell bill i said that tho** ****

**(11:32pm) Richard.: goodnight :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you guys didn't catch it, Richie was playing footsie with Jackson on accident... oops. Poor Eddie :( I swear when I first started this fic it was just going to be a really fluffy, cute oneshot... but I love angst... and I'm incapable of writing anything under 10k words so this fic was born.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i probably wont be able to update once every few days like i used to just bc it's the holiday season and i've been getting busier lately, but i promise to try and upload at least once a week :) with that said, this chapter is extremely short... and not my best work.... but it's mostly just a filler chapter and i promise the next one will be longer, better written, and more interesting!!! <3
> 
> thank you & enjoy <3

Eddie had the biggest pair of sunglasses on and his hood up, effectively hiding his face. He had wanted to ask Bev for some concealer, but had chickened out at the last minute. He only had one class today and he decided that it would be safe enough to show up with his bruises on partial display. None of the Loser’s were in his class and he didn’t think anybody else cared about him enough to mention it. Besides, they were in the lecture hall today and Eddie could very easily slip into a seat in the very, very back row. No one would pay him any mind.

He had just been cheering mentally to himself at the fact that he had somehow, miraculously, managed to secure an aisle seat in the last row, when a familiar voice called out to him. Eddie froze.

“Eddie? Is that you?”

He very carefully peeked at Mike over his sunglasses and gave a small wave. _Fuck._

“Hey Eddie! I guess our classes are merged today,” Mike laughed as he slid into the open seat next to Eddie. He eyed Eddie’s massive sunglasses. “I like the look,” he joked. “You do realize we’re indoors though, right?”

Eddie let out an uneasy laugh. “I just have a pretty bad migraine,” he lied. “Actually, I’ve been feeling pretty sick since last night.” Eddie needed to get out of here _right now. _He started packing up the school books he had just placed in front of him and shot Mike an apologetic smile. “Do you mind taking notes for me? I thought I could get through class, but I don’t think I can. I’m really sorry, ” he mumbled out all in one breath. Eddie hastily got out of his seat and swung his bag over his shoulder, not bothering to say a proper goodbye to Mike before leaving as fast as he could before the professor got in.

———————

A knock on the door startled Eddie awake. He groaned and rolled over, shutting his eyes and hoping that whoever it was would just go away if he didn’t answer.

Another knock sounded.

Eddie let out another groan and pulled his covers over his head.

Another knock came, more insistent this time, and Eddie kicked his sheets off before clambering out of his bed in annoyance. What was the point of paying extra for a single if nobody ever seemed to leave him alone?

He yanked open the door, ready to tell whoever the fuck it was to _go away_, when he was met with Stan’s worried face instead. Eddie blanched. Of all the people he was expecting, Stan was not one of them.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the library?” Eddie blurt out in a panic.

“Ms. Fieldings is there,” Stan said in explanation as he stepped into Eddie’s dorm, not waiting for an invitation in. Eddie closed the door behind him and wrung his hands together nervously.

“Mike said you weren’t feeling well so I asked if I could leave since it’s pretty slow anyways.” Stan turned to look at Eddie. “What happened to your face?”

Eddie’s face drained of color. He had somehow, stupidly, forgotten about the giant, yellowing bruise and harsh cut taking up half his face. “I— um. Oh, I was playing baseball with Jackson and got hit in the face.”

Stan raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms. “Really.”

“Yeah.”

Stan stared at him in silence for a moment.

_“_Eddie, you’re the least athletic person I know. Do you really expect me to believe you were playing baseball? _Voluntarily?”_

Eddie groaned and nervously ran a hand through his hair. “Jackson was teaching me, okay? He was like, some kind of baseball god in high school and the weather was nice so we went out to the field to play.” He averted his eyes and cursed the fact that he had let Stan in in the first place.

“So, you’re telling me you went out to play baseball because _the weather was nice_ and you _got hit in the face_ so hard that you bruised.” Stan paused and flicked his gaze to Eddie’s cheek. “And got a cut.” He finished.

“Okay, _fine. _The weather _wasn’t _nice, but Jackson wanted to play even though I didn’t, so we went out anyways. There. That’s the truth, okay?”

Stan rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Sounds like Jackson.”

Eddie ignored him and sat on his bed cross legged, pulling the covers over his lap and watching warily as Stan walked around his dorm.

“Hey wasn’t this hanging on your wall?” Stan asked as he picked up the previous framed photograph of Eddie, Beverly, and himself that was now just laying on Eddie’s desk. He held it up closer to his face and squinted at it for a moment, a fond smile dancing on his lips, before turning back towards Eddie. “Bev gave this to you right? For your birthday a few years ago? I remember she dragged me with her to go antiquing to find the perfect frame for it. What happened to it?”

Eddie’s heart was beating so hard he thought for sure that Stan would be able to hear it from across the room. He gulped nervously and played with the hem of his blanket, not quite meeting his friend’s all-knowing gaze.

“The fucking baseball again. We knocked it off on accident and the frame broke. I’ve been meaning to fix it,” Eddie said in what he hoped to be a nonchalant voice.

There was a long pause.

“I thought you said you guys were playing baseball out on the field.” Stan finally said, voice sharp.

A nervous laugh bubbled out of Eddie. “Yeah, we did, but we were still messing around when we came back inside too.” The lie was pathetic and Eddie knew it, but he hoped that Stan wouldn’t call him out on it.

There was another long moment of silence. Eddie shifted uncomfortably and refused to look at his friend.

“Eddie.” Stan eventually said.

"Yeah?”

The taller boy blew out a breath and shook his head, staring at the ground. “I-- Nevermind.” He checked his watch. “I gotta go, but feel better, okay? And…” his eyes flicked over Eddie’s yellowing bruise, “put some ice on that.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said again quietly. He cleared his throat. “I will. Thanks.”

Stan threw him a tight tipped smile and left the dorm, shutting the door quietly behind him. He leaned against the door for a moment, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, before letting out a big sigh and pulling his phone out from his pocket. He scrolled quickly through his text threads and opened the one he was looking for.

(1:09pm) _Stan: We need to talk._


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh this update took me way longer than I thought it would I’m sorry and thank u for being so patient <33 i also was not expecting this chapter to turn out the way it did... but I’m rolling with it. hope you guys enjoy and as always, thank u for reading <3 and please leave comments! they keep me going :)

“A-Are you sure? Muh-maybe he r-really did get hit w-with a baseball.”

“I don’t know,” Stan said quietly, shaking his head.

“E-Eddie seems tough,” Bill responded after a small pause. “But y-you know him b-buh-better than I d-do. Do you r-really th-th-think Eddie would s-s-stay with Jackson if he d-did that to h-him?”

Stan stared blankly out the window into the black night, eyes glazed over as his mind raced. _Did he really think Eddie would stay with Jackson?_ He blinked rapidly, shaking himself out of his reverie. _Yes, yes he did._

He turned his gaze back to Bill, who was sitting on the opposite side of the dorm at Richie’s desk, staring at Stan in concern.

Stan let out a big breath, steeling himself to tell Bill something he had never breathed to another soul. “No one except Bev and I know this, but this isn’t the first time one of Eddie's boyfriends had been physical with him.”

There was a small, barely audible gasp as Bill took in his words. Stan ignored him and continued.

“Back in high school, Eddie used to date this guy named Dustin. We were all really good friends and Bev and I were so happy when they started dating. It wasn’t until after they broke up that we found out what Dustin was doing to him. The funny thing is, we found out through Sonia— Eddie’s mother.”

“W-why is that f-funny?” Bill asked softly.

“Because Sonia abused Eddie too— psychologically,” he bit out angrily. “But I guess we have to thank her because she’s the one who walked in on Eddie changing and saw all the bruises.” There was a moment of silence as Stan tried to get his thoughts in order. “Sometimes I feel like that’s all Eddie knows and that’s why he keeps running back to people who end up hurting him. He thinks so little of himself, but he’s this great guy, you know? And he deserves happiness…” he trailed off. “Anyways, sorry to get so melodramatic on you,” Stan said with a small huff of laughter. “And sorry I’m here so late. I just didn’t know who to talk to and I can’t talk to Beverly about this. At least not until I know for sure.”

Bill shot him a small, sad smile. “Of c-c-course,” he said kindly. There was a small pause before he asked, “S-so what are you g-guh-going to d-do?”

Stan shook his head as he unthinkingly fidgeted with a loose sheet of paper on Bill’s desk, folding and unfolding the corner over and over again as he racked his brain for something to say. “I don’t know,” he eventually responded.

Bill stood up from Richie’s desk and crossed the room to Stan, wrapping his arms around the other boy’s shoulder and resting his chin on top of Stan’s curls. Stan’s movements stilled and he dropped his hand from the desk, instead bringing it up to Bill’s arm.

“M-muh-maybe you can j-just keep a c-cl-closer eye on him?”

Stan closed his eyes and leaned back, letting himself relax slightly in the warmth of Bill’s embrace. “I will. I just don’t want this to turn into another Dustin situation, Bill,” Stan said quietly, voice strangled. He tilted his head and looked up at his boyfriend standing behind him. “I don’t want to miss the signs again.”

“You w-w-won’t,” Bill responded, voice just as soft as Stan’s. “Y-you’re a g-g-good friend, S-Stan.”

———————

(4:05pm) Eddie: u don’t work friday right

(4:05pm) _Stan: No, why?_

(4:06pm) Eddie: do u and bill wanna go on a double date with me and jackson

(4:06pm) _Stan: What_.

(4:06pm) Eddie: what?

(4:07pm) _Stan: I don’t think that’s a good idea, Eddie._

(4:07pm) Eddie: what

(4:07pm) Eddie: why not

(4:07pm) Eddie: is it bc of the baseball thing

(4:08pm) Eddie: stan he didnt mean to

(4:08pm) Eddie: and the bruise is fading now it’s fine im ok with it

(4:08pm) Eddie: jackson feels rly bad about it and apologized

(4:08pm) Eddie: and he bought me a new frame for that pic of u me and bev

(4:08pm) Eddie: also he said he wants to get to know u guys more

(4:16pm) _Stan: I’ll ask Bill if he’s free._

(4:17pm) Eddie: ok cool we were thinking the new chinese place

(4:17pm) Eddie: 7 ok?

(4:22pm) _Stan: He said he’s free._

(4:23pm) Eddie: great i’ll let jackson know :)

(4:23pm) Eddie: oh gtg see u at work tomorrow

(4:23pm) _Stan: See you tomorrow._

———————

Stan tried his best to not stare too suspiciously at Jackson. It was hard not to though when the other boy was sitting diagonally across from him with a giant smile on his face as he looked fondly at Eddie. Stan narrowed his eyes and looked between the two.

They had been at the restaurant for about an hour, and Stan, fortunately or unfortunately, hadn’t found a single fault in Jackson’s behavior thus far. The blond boy was treating Eddie like a complete gentleman and Eddie in return was staring at Jackson like he had hung the stars and moon up himself.Stan would’ve been convinced that he had just imagined the conversation between him and Eddie that took place earlier that week had it not been for the nearly invisible bruise still gracing his friend’s face. Fortunately, the harsh cut was healed, but there was still a tinge of yellow on Eddie’s cheek.

Stan let out a small yelp in surprise when he felt a finger poke him in the ribs. He turned to look at Bill who was just staring at him in amusement.

“What?” Stan asked. Bill nodded his head in the direction of Jackson who was staring at Stan expectantly. “What?” He repeated, directing the blond this time.

Jackson smiled. “I said, how long have you and Eddie known each other?”

“Oh,” Stan said. “Since elementary school. I ran into a tree and he appeared out of nowhere with a bandaid and disinfectant and we’ve been friends ever since.”

Bill, who had been taking a sip of his water, let out a choked laugh and set his glass down, coughing. “W-Wait, what?” He asked through another laugh.

Stan shrugged and reached for his water to take a drink. “I was bird watching with my binoculars during recess and wasn’t looking where I was going so I scraped my elbow on a tree as I was walking past. Next thing I know, some small freckled kid is standing right in front of me with a new bandaid already peeled and ready to go.”

_Stan sat on a bench at the edge of the perimeter of the playground and watched in boredom at the rest of his 5th grade class as they clambered up jungle gyms and swung from monkey bars. A girl ran past, shrieking with laughter as another girl and two boys chased after her. Stan rolled his eyes and reached for his binoculars sitting next to him before getting up and wandering towards the few scattering of trees still within their designated recess spot. He raised his binoculars to his eyes and squinted up at the tops of the trees, trying in vain to hopefully spot a new bird he could jot down in his notebook._

_Suddenly, a soft caw sounded from his left and he quickly whipped his head to the noise, binoculars still held firmly to his eyes. He flicked his gaze around and let out a small noise in amazement when his eyes spotted a flash of blue from one of the branches on a tree a little further ahead. He quickened his steps towards the small bird, taking care not to make too much noise in case he scared it off, and hastily went through his mental list of birds he knew off the top of his head. Which one was this?_

_Stan kept his eyes on the bird, still staring at it through his binoculars, and ignored the muted “hey!” he heard from behind him as he trekked closer. A Cerulean Warbler, his mind suddenly supplied. He tried not to jump in excitement. He had never seen a Cerulean Warbler up close before and his heart was thumping wildly. He couldn’t wait to tell his dad about this._

_Just as he neared the tree, he heard the sound of fallen leaves crunching loudly and obnoxiously underneath deft footsteps. Stan,_ _still staring up at the bird, huffed in annoyance and turned to tell whoever it was behind him to be quiet, when he accidentally knocked his elbow against the tree he was partially hiding behind._

_Stan let out a startled cry of pain and dropped his binoculars. “Ow!” He cried, holding his elbow up to his face so he could inspect it._

_“Do you need a bandaid?”_

_Stan startled again and turned to see a boy he vaguely recognized standing in front of him with a bandaid in hand. He looked at the smaller boy briefly before directing his gaze back up to the tree he was focused on to see that the Cerulean Warbler he so desperately_ _wanted to see up close was no longer in sight. Stan let out a disappointed sigh and tried to stop his lower lip from quivering. He was a 5th grader now and he absolutely was not going to cry— no matter how badly he was crushed from missing an opportunity to see the small blue bird up close._

_“I really think you should disinfect that.”_

_Stan turned back around to the boy and frowned. “What?”_

_The smaller boy stood up straighter and puffed his chest out slightly. “Disinfect. Mommy taught it to me. She said it means to clean.” He flicked his gaze to Stan’s elbow. “That cut’s going to get dirty and you’re going to get sick_ _and maybe die if you don’t clean it right away.”_

_Stan raised his elbow back up to inspect it and saw that the tree bark had left a small, but innocent scrape. He would die from this little thing? He moved his other hand up to poke at the reddening skin when suddenly the smaller boy cried out and grabbed his hand before he could._

_“No! Your hand is dirty! You’ll make it worse if you touch it.” He pulled out a small, travel sized pack of disinfect wipes from his jean pocket and took one to gently pat at Stan’s elbow. The slightly taller boy squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the sting of the alcohol. “Sorry,” the brunette said, noticing Stan's expression. “It stings a little, but that’s because it’s cleaning it.” He threw the used wipe to the floor and carefully stuck a small bandaid on the scrape, patting it firmly in place before stepping back. “There,” the boy said with a hesitant smile. “Now you can go_ _back to doing whatever it was you were doing.”_

_Stan inspected his newly bandaged elbow with a small smile on his face. No one, especially not another kid, had ever helped him clean a cut before. He raised his gaze back up to the boy and smiled widely. “Thanks,” he said. “I was watching birds. Do you want to join me?”_

_The other boy eyed his binoculars dangling from his chest before tilting his head up. “I don’t see any birds,” he said dubiously, squinting his eyes at the sky._

_Stan rolled his eyes. “They’re there. You just have to find them.” He carefully removed his binoculars from around his neck and handed it to the boy. “Here— you can use these, but you have to be careful with them because they’re new. My dad bought it for me,” Stan explained. “He likes watching birds too.”_

_“Okay,” the other boy said as he reached for the binoculars. “I’ll be careful.” He raised the binoculars up to his eyes and stared at the clear sky for a moment before bringing them back down. “I still don’t see anything.”_

_“You have to wait,” Stan said with a little huff. “Do you want to sit?”_

_The brunette eyed the ground in disgust. “Here? That’s gross. Mommy said there’s a lot of dirty stuff on the floor and we have to be careful or else we’ll get sick.”_

_Stan frowned. “Oh. Okay. Well, we can go back to the playground and sit on a bench?” He crouched down when he noticed the wipe the other boy had thrown to the ground earlier and picked it up._

_The smaller boy nodded vigorously, watching Stan as he brought himself back up to his full height. “Okay!” He exclaimed. “Hey, what’s your name by the way?” He asked, turning his head to look at Stan._

_“Stan.”_

_“Hi Stan. I’m Eddie,” Eddie said with a small giggle. “Do you mean that bench over there?” He asked suddenly, pointing at the bench Stan was previously sitting on by himself earlier._

_Stan nodded his head._

_“Okay! Hopefully we’ll see some birds before recess is over! What’s your favorite? Do you know every bird there is? And what are these called anyways?” Eddie asked in rapid succession, gesturing down at the binoculars he was still holding._

_“They’re binoculars,” Stan said carefully, enunciating the word. “And I have my bird book at home if you want to see it after school,” he suggested shyly. He had never invited anyone over before and he was feeling both nervous and excited. What if Eddie said no?_

_“Really?” Eddie exclaimed. “Cool! I’ll have to ask mommy first, but I think she’ll say yes.”_

_Stan’s eyes widened in excitement. “Okay,” he said simply. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of recess. “Um, I’ll see you after school, Eddie?” Stan rushed out. He didn’t_ _want to be the last one to make it to the line his teacher made before leading them all back to the school, but he also wanted to make sure that Eddie would be coming over._

_Eddie smiled a big, wide, smile at him. “Sure! See you after school, Stan!” Eddie parroted before waving wildly and taking off towards his own classroom’s line._

_Stan watched his retreating back for a moment before turning and rushing to join his classmates. He tried to hold back the giddy smile that was threatening to overtake his face. He had made a friend._

“Awww, th-that’s so c-c-cute,” Bill cooed.

“Wow, is that really what happened?” Jackson asked, directing his question towards Eddie who was looking down at the table and using a fork to mess around with the food on his plate.

“Yeah, basically. Except Stan was way dorkier.” Eddie snorted.

Stan rolled his eyes. “Eddie, you literally stuffed cleaning supplies in your pockets and bragged about knowing what ‘disinfectant’ meant.”

The table broke out into peals of laughter and Stan smiled at Eddie when he caught his eye. Eddie shot him a small smile back, eyes crinkling, before moving his gaze to Jackson. Stan tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he stared at the two of them. Eddie hadn’t shown any sign of being uncomfortable around Jackson and had instead leaned into his every touch, smiling and laughing and making inside jokes that had the both of them in near tears.

Stan watched Eddie fondly for a little while longer. This was his best friend. His dorky, hypochondriac of a best friend, and Stan wanted nothing but the best for him. It had just about broken his heart when he had found out what Dustin was doing to Eddie, and he had sworn to never let Eddie go through anything like that again.

He had watched Jackson like a hawk all night, but the blond boy didn’t seem to display any of the warning signs that Dustin had shown, but Stan had missed. Maybe he was overthinking it. After all, Eddie had sworn to both him and Beverly that he would never, ever allow himself to be with a guy that abused him ever again. Neither one of them doubted him because Eddie was tough and fiery and stubborn and he knew how to hold his ground.

Stan startled slightly and was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt a gentle hand snake around his waist. “E-everyth-thing o-okay?” Bill asked softly, leaning in and laying his head briefly on Stan’s shoulder before moving back.

Stan turned his head slightly to look at his boyfriend. “Yeah,” he said with a small grin. “I think maybe everything is okay.”

———————

“Dinner was fun tonight,” Jackson said as he shrugged his jacket back on. They were back at Eddie’s dorm and he had been hanging around for the last hour, but it was getting late and he had an essay to get back to.

“It was,” Eddie agreed, pushing himself off the bed and circling his arms around Jackson. “Thanks.”

Jackson kissed the top of his head. “For?”

“I don’t know,” Eddie said, voice slightly muffled from his face being up against Jackson’s chest. “Everything I guess. For being so nice tonight and making an effort to get to know my friends. And for replacing my picture frame.”

Jackson let out a small, amused chuckle. “I like you a lot, Eddie. Of course I would want to get to know the people in your life.” He grabbed Eddie’s face and pushed his face back gently so he could drop a kiss on his forehead. “And don’t thank me for that,” Jackson said, flicking his gaze up to the new frame hanging on Eddie’s wall. “It was my fault it broke in the first place. I’m really sorry again, Eddie,” he said in a soft voice. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Eddie nodded. “I know. It’s okay.”

Jackson smiled down at him. “I love you.”

Eddie blinked and tore his gaze away. “Um. Thanks,” he said quietly. Stupidly. “I mean, I love you too,” he said quickly, voice hushed. “Goodnight Jackson.”

Jackson’s lips quirked up into another small, amused smile. “Goodnight, Eddie,” he said, ruffling the smaller boy’s hair before opening the door and walking out.

Eddie let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding as soon as the door shut. He glanced briefly around his small dorm, lost in thought, before picking up his phone and snapping a picture of the newly framed picture of himself, Stan, and Beverly hanging on the wall.

(11:12pm) Eddie: _You sent a picture_.

(11:12pm) Eddie: like it?

(11:12pm) _Stan: Is that the new frame Jackson got you?_

(11:12pm) Eddie: ya

(11:12pm) _Stan: Looks great, Eddie. Beverly will be upset though. She loved the other one._

Inexplicably, tears started to form in Eddie’s eyes. He quickly blinked them back and stared down at his phone for a moment before typing up a reply.

(11:15pm) Eddie: i know

(11:15pm) Eddie: i’m sorry

(11:16pm) Eddie: hey stan?

(11:16pm) _Stan: Yeah?_

(11:17pm) Eddie: thanks for being my friend

(11:17pm) Eddie: haha

(11:17pm) Eddie: sry to get so soft on u just

(11:18pm) Eddie: thanks

(11:18pm) Eddie: u always put up w/ my shit even back then

(11:19pm) _Stan: And you put up with mine, so we’re even._

(11:19pm) _Stan: Thanks for being my friend too, Eddie._

(11:19pm) _Stan: :)_

(11:19pm) Eddie: wow double texting AND an emoticon??

(11:19pm) _Stan: What can I say? It’s a soft night for me too._

(11:20pm) _Stan: Goodnight, Eddie._

(11:21pm) Eddie: goodnight stanley

(11:21pm) Eddie: :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO FUCKING SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I GOT SWEPT UP IN ALL THE HOLIDAY MADNESS. I swear I meant to upload this before christmas AHHHH :( I hope this longish? chapter makes up for my unexpected hiatus!! The ending feels kinda rushed to me, but please let me know your thoughts in the comments! I love reading them all and they keep me going :)
> 
> THANK YOU ALWAYS AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY <3
> 
> ps. i did not edit this or read through it before posting so pls ignore any mistakes i will fix later i just wanted to upload this asap

“Eddie Spaghetti!” Richie cried out as soon as he entered the library.

Eddie rolled his eyes as he watched the lanky boy walk up to the counter. Thank god it was just him working tonight. He didn’t think Jackson would’ve taken too kindly to Richie visiting him at the library again.

“What do you want, Rich?” He asked when the other boy got closer.

Richie, the dramatic bastard, staggered back. “Ouch Eds. Why do you always gotta be so rude? Hey wait,” he said suddenly, eyes lighting up behind his glasses. “Isn’t that a song?”

“No,” Eddie hastily responded. He knew Richie far too well now, and he knew exactly what the other boy was about to do.

“You’re a fuckin liar, Eddie bear!” Richie sing-songed obnoxiously before belting into song.

“_Why you gotta be so rude?  
__Don’t you know I’m human too?  
__Why you gotta be so rude?  
__I’m gonna marry YOU anyway!”_

Eddie glanced furtively around the library. “Shut _up,_” he hissed, but Richie was undeterred, screaming the lyrics even louder and more off key. “Stop!” Eddie said through a laugh, eyes crinkling as he reached up to try and clasp a hand over the other boy’s mouth. He yanked his hand back suddenly when he felt the hot, wet sensation of the other boy licking his palm. “Fuck, Rich, that’s so fucking gross oh my god.” He said, scrubbing his hand furiously against his jeans. Eddie walked back behind the counter and pumped hand sanitizer into his hands, vigorously rubbing them together as he tried to remove all traces of Richie’s saliva off of him.

Richie flashed Eddie a wide grin. “Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “Hey, whatcha doing for winter break?” He asked suddenly, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Probably going back home,” Eddie said with a small shrug. “I think my mom will have an aneurysm if I don't go back for at least a couple of days.”

“Ah, good old Mrs. K,” Richie said with a dreamy sigh. “Do you think she—”

Eddie flashed him a warning look.

“What?” Richie asked, looking the picture of innocence. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “I’m so not in the mood to hear more of your _your mom_ jokes right now.”

“You spoil all my fun, Eds,” Richie sighed with a dramatic shake of his head. “Hey, where is home anyways?” He suddenly asked.

“Huh?”

“You said you were going home for break. Where’s home?” Richie elaborated.

Eddie blinked. “Oh. Um, just a small town called Derry. You’ve probably never heard of it.”

“You’re darn tootin’ right I’ve never heard of it, Mister,” Richie drawled in a surprisingly passable imitation of a Southern accent. Eddie didn’t want to admit it, but the taller boy’s voices were getting better everyday.

“Where are _you_ going for break?” Eddie asked with a roll of his eyes. “You gonna go to Bill’s?”

Richie shrugged and took his glasses off, cleaning the lens with his shirt. “Nah, I’m staying here. Bill and his family are going on vacation and I don’t wanna be a bother.” He cleared his throat and continued wiping his glasses, refusing to make eye contact with the shorter boy in front of him. “Besides, I promised your mom I would sneak her into my dorm,” Richie joked, finally shoving the glasses back onto his face.

“That’s so not funny, fucknut,” Eddie huffed as he glared at Richie. After a few moments of both boys staring unnervingly at each other, Eddie’s expression grew soft. Richie glanced away uncomfortably. The smaller boy’s wide, brown eyes made him want to pull all of his hair out.

“Hey,” Eddie said suddenly in a much more serious tone. “I’m sorry you have to stay back. I would invite you over to stay with me, but my mom’s kind of insane.”

Richie flicked his gaze back to him and smiled. “No biggie, Eds. This ain’t my first rodeo. And I bet Jackson would go batshit if he find out I was staying with you all break.”

Eddie, who had been neatly piling books on the counter next to him, whipped his head up to stare wide eyed at Richie. “What? What do you mean?” He rushed out in a panic. Did Richie _know? _“Jackson wouldn’t do that to me.” He flitted around nervously, picking up and putting down the same book over and over again as he tried to find something to do with his hands.

“Uh,” Richie scrunched his nose up and stared at Eddie in bewilderment as the smaller boy fidgeted behind the counter. “I meant Jackson doesn’t like me so he would get pissed at me if I stayed with you,” Richie explained slowly. “Wait, what do you mean by “Jackson wouldn’t do that to you?”” He asked around air quotes. “Do _what?_”

“Nothing,” Eddie responded hastily. “Sorry, I must’ve heard you wrong.”

Richie continued to stare at Eddie like he had grown two heads.

“It’s _nothing,_” Eddie stressed.

“You’re so fucking weird, Eds,” Richie said, trying but failing to keep the edge of fondness out of his tone.

Eddie scowled. “Yeah, you’re one to talk, dipshit. And _don’t_ call me Eds.”

Richie let out a bark of laughter. “Awwww, Eds, you’re so cute when you’re mad.” He reached forward to pinch one of Eddie’s cheeks, but the other boy shooed his hand away.

“Touch me with those grubby hands of yours, Trashmouth, and I will literally choke you.”

“Ooh, kinky,” Richie said with a wink. “Maybe we should save that for the bedroom though, don’t you think? Unless you’re into exhibitionism. Then I’m cool with that.”

Eddie’s scowl deepened. “I can’t fucking—” He paused and looked heavenward for a brief second before glaring at Richie again. “Do you have anything clever to say or do you exist just to annoy the living shit out of me?”

“I exist just to annoy the living shit out of you. Obviously,” Richie said with a lewd grin as he leaned across the counter. “And I just love seeing you get all hot and bothered about this whole ‘Eds’ thing. It makes me feel all tingly.”

“Argh! You’re so fucking _annoying._ Leave me alone so I can actually do my job,” Eddie cried out, a small breath of unwanted laughter bubbling out of him. “Go hang out with Bill. Or better yet, go find Stan and bother him.”

“But I don’t wanna be with Bill or Stan,” Richie whined like the absolute 5 year old he was. “I wanna be with _you. _You’re my favorite and I like _you_ the best.”

Eddie’s face heat up at Richie’s words and he tried not to let it get to his head too much. It was when Richie said shit like this, so forward and blunt, that Eddie let his mind wander and his heart hope that maybe, just maybe, Richie felt the same way about Eddie that he felt about Richie.

“Yeah, well, I don’t like you best,” Eddie said quietly, the words coming out much more serious than he was intending. It was meant to be a joke. It _should’ve _been a joke, but his heart was hurting and he knew he had to get over his obsession with Richie. He refused to let himself think about being with him in _that way_. It would only lead to heartache. Besides, Eddie was with Jackson now and as far as he knew, Richie still liked that mysterious boy he had spoken about to Stan, and Eddie knew for a fact that it wasn’t him, so he shut himself off and pretended like he had only imagined the brief look of sadness, longing, and hurt that danced across the taller boy’s face at his harsh words. “I gotta work, Rich. I’ll text you later, okay?”

Richie nodded. “Sure, Eds,” he said with a sad smile. “I’ll be waiting for it.”

———————

(7:21am) Richard.: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE EVERYBODY

(7:27am) Mike: Good morning to you too Rich

(7:28am) Stan: Are you really going to keep this up until Christmas?

(7:28am) Mike: It’s like the advent nobody asked for lol

(7:28am) Stan: I can’t believe you’ve been texting us “Merry Christmas Eve” since December 1st. I didn’t think you would keep it up.

(7:29am) Richard.: wat can i say staniel i like 2 prove ppl wrong

(7:29am) Mike: Lol of course Richie would be the type of person to do something just out of spite

(7:29am) Richard.: :P

(7:29am) Stan: You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes at you right now.

(7:29am) Richard.: stan my man at this point you’ve rolled ur eyes at me so many times i can already envision u doing it b4 u even do it

(7:30am) Eddie: why the fuck are you fuckfaces awake at ass o clock in the morning

(7:30am) Eddie: all the fucking buzzing woke me up

(7:30am) Eddie: assholes

(7:31am) Stan: Someone woke up in a good mood.

(7:31am) Richard.: xD

(7:31am) Richard.: rise and shine princess

(7:31am) Richard: the day is young! time 2 explore this grand universe

(7:32am) Eddie: no fuck u im muting this and going back to sleep

(7:32am) Eddie: if u need me, dont.

(7:32am) Mike: Eddie’s always so nice

(7:32am) Stan: Warms my goddamn heart.

(7:33am) Richard.: stay away from him he’s mine ;(

(7:33am) Eddie: no im not

(7:33am) Richard.: wat the fuck i thought u went back 2 sleep

(7:34am) Eddie: about to now

(7:34am) Eddie: goodnight assholes

(7:35am) Stan: It’s morning…

(7:41am) Ben: Good morning guys!

(7:41am) Mike: Morning Ben!

(7:42am) Bev: dear god why is everybody up so early

(7:42am) Bev: oh it’s bc of rich

(7:42am) Stan: Of course it’s because of Richie.

(7:43am) Bill: morning

(7:43am) Bill: lol Merry Christmas eve eve Richie

(7:44am) Ben: I can’t believe Christmas is already in 2 days

(7:44am) Bev: I KNOW IM SO EXCITED!!

(7:44am) Bev: I LOVE CHRISTMAS

(7:44am) Bev: *christmas tree emoji*

(7:45am) Mike: Me too!! *snowflake emoji* *snowman emoji*

(7:45am) Ben: Does anybody have fun plans for the break?

(7:45am) Mike: Nope just hanging out at the farm again

(7:45am) Mike: What about you ben?

(7:45am) Ben: I’m going to see Bev since she came for Thanksgiving :)

(7:46am) Bev: hell ya he is

(7:46am) Mike: That’s cute

(7:48am) Richard.: GAG

(7:48am) Bev: shut up trashmouth

(7:48am) Bill: im going somewhere over break but my parents wont tell me or Georgie where they’re taking us so

(7:48am) Bev: ooooh sounds fun!! i love surprises

(7:48am) Richard.: im planning a little trip outta this hellhole 2

(7:48am) Richard.: sooooo excited 2 get out of here

(7:48am) Stan: Richie, are you going back home?

(7:48am) Ben: Where you going?

(7:48am) Bill: wait you are???

(7:48am) Bill: why didn’t you tell me?

(7:50am) Richard.: im going

(7:50am) Richard.: to

(7:50am) Richard.: go fuck eddies mom

(7:51am) Richard.: GOT U LOSERS LOL

(7:51am) Stan: I should’ve known he was just going to say some shit like that.

(7:51am) Stan: Bah Humbug.

———————

(7:48am)** billiam: where are you going Rich?******

(7:48am) **billiam: i thought you said you had school stuff to do which is why you couldn’t come over for break**

(7:48am) **billiam: and my folks don’t mind you going on this trip with us either if that’s what you were worried about**

(7:51am) **billiam: fuck you nevermind**

(7:51am) **Trashmouth: awww big bill dont b like that**

(7:51am) **Trashmouth: if u rly want the truth**

(7:52am) **Trashmouth: im going 2 go see eds**

(7:52am) **billiam: Richie**

(7:52am)** billiam: why?**

(7:52am) **Trashmouth: why what**

(7:53am) **billiam: don’t play dumb Rich**

(7:53am) **billiam: why are you going to see Eddie?**

(7:54am) **Trashmouth: bc he’s my friend and i thought it would b fun if we hung out together during this wonderful holiday szn**

(7:55am) **billiam: c’mon man he’s with Jackson**

(7:56am) **Trashmouth: so what? does him being with jackson mean im not allowed to hang out with him now?**

(7:56am) **Trashmouth: fuck that and fuck jackson**

(7:57am) **billiam: look I just don’t want you to get hurt okay?**

(8:09am) **billiam: Rich**

(8:16am) **billiam: Jesus fucking Christ**

———————

(2:32pm) Richard.: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE

(2:33pm) Bev: aaand there he is

(2:33pm) Bev: i was wondering when u were going to show

(2:34pm) Eddie: yeah it’s like half past 2 now

(2:34pm) Eddie: u always text us at the ass crack of dawn what gives

(2:34pm) Richard.: AWWW eds did u miss my good morning texts? <3

(2:35pm) Stan: Not what he said, but okay.

(2:35pm) Richard.: staniel this is a conversation between taco and burrito, nacho

(2:36pm) Stan: Really? Are you 12?

(2:36pm) Bill: it’s Richie of course he is

(2:36pm) Richard.: i am: Offended

(2:43pm) Ben: Merry Christmas Eve guys!! :)

(2:43pm) Bev: ben bby you’re so pure

(2:43pm) Richard.: BEN GETS IT

(2:44pm) Ben: Get’s what?

(2:44pm) Richard.: nvm

(2:44pm) Richard.: anyways

(2:44pm) Richard.: i only popped in 2 send my obligatory merry christmas eve txt

(2:44pm) Richard.: pip pip and cheerio my good fellows

(2:45pm) Stan: Wow. A Richie-free chat.

(2:45pm) Stan: Looks like my Christmas wish came true.

(2:45pm) Ben: Aren’t you Jewish?

(2:45pm) Stan: Your point?

———————

(10:49pm) Eddie: ok this is actually sketching me out where’s rich

(10:49pm) Stan: Edward, don’t you dare ruin this.

(10:49pm) Bev: eddie’s right

(10:49pm) Bev: it’s quiet…

(10:50pm) Mike: Too quiet…

(10:50pm) Ben: Richie you there?

(10:50pm) Bev: riiiiccchiiiieeee

(10:51pm) Eddie: hey trashmouth where the fuck did u go

(10:51pm) Eddie: holy shut

(10:51pm) Bev: shut

(10:51pm) Eddie: fick guys i thbjk someones at my window what the fukc

(10:52pm) Stan: What? Eddie, are you okay?

(10:52pm) Mike: Is Eddie about to get murdered?

“Holyshitholyshitholyshitholyshit_,” _Eddie muttered to himself like a mantra as he tip-toed closer to his window and peered out cautiously into the dark abyss. He lowered his arm holding onto his lamp in a death grip in both surprise and bewilderment when he saw a familiar pale face and wide eyes staring back at him from the tree right outside his window.

Eddie blinked once.

Twice.

Richie was still in the same spot in the tree, only this time he was waving frantically at Eddie, pointing at the bottle in his hand, and mouthing something.

Breaking out of his daze, Eddie reached forward to unlock his window and pushed it up as quietly as he could. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Eddie asked incredulously.

“Jesus, Eds. Let a guy in first, would ya? I feel like I have splinters in places I should not be having splinters in.”

Eddie could do nothing but step back, eyes wide as he tracked Richie’s movements as the lanky boy squeezed himself through the small opening, landing ungracefully with a soft thunk onto Eddie’s floor. Miraculously, he kept a solid hold on the bottle he was holding and managed not to break it during his climb into Eddie’s room.

“Shut up!” Eddie hissed in a panic. “My mom’s right down the hall!”

Richie rubbed at his ankle. “I’m fine, thanks for asking,” he said with a wince. He looked up at Eddie then and seemed to just now realize what was in Eddie’s hand. “Eddie-bear, are you holding a fucking lamp? Were you going to beat me with a lamp?” Richie threw his head back and guffawed loudly.

“Richie, I swear to fucking _god!_”

“Ooh. I love it when you yell at me Eds,” Richie joked once his laughter died down. Slowly, he pushed himself off the floor and slid his hands into his pockets as he took a good look at Eddie. He let out a low whistle.

“What?” Eddie asked self consciously. He glanced down at himself, half expecting to see himself wearing just his boxers what with the way Richie was currently looking at him, but he was met with the sight of his standard sleepwear: shorts and a large sweater. “What?” Eddie repeated again.

“Jesus,” Richie breathed, eyes wide behind his glasses as he continued to look Eddie up and down. “Those shorts should be fucking illegal. Yowza!”

Eddie scowled. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Richie let out another low whistle and tore his eyes away from Eddie’s bare legs so he could address Eddie properly. “Are you not cold? It’s like, 20 degrees outside dude. Not that I’m complaining. If you want to wear those sexy shorts in below freezing weather, be my guest. It’s _hot._”

“It’s called a heater you fucking moron,” Eddie said with a stern frown, though his cheeks were starting to flush a bright crimson red. He knew Richie was probably only kidding around, but he couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach at his words.

“What are you doing here Rich?” Eddie asked warily when Richie didn’t reply. He didn’t understand why the other boy was standing here, in his childhood room, in the middle of the night making inane conversation. It was off-putting to Eddie to see the other boy in the room he grew up in. Richie managed to look both out of place, yet so comfortable, standing with his hands in his pockets like he was meant to be there.

“Do you know what fucking time it is?” Eddie continued. “It’s late. I’m tired. Also, what is that?” He asked pointing at the inconspicuous bottle Richie had placed on his nightstand. “Why did you bring that to my house? Wait, how the fuck do you know where I live? Are you a stalker? Actually, how did you even know which _window _was mine? What if you knocked on my mom’s window, dipshit? Then what? _Don’t _answer that.” He said in warning when he saw the other boy open his mouth to no doubt reply with another lame _your mom _joke.

Richie shrugged and sat on Eddie’s bed, but not before toeing his shoes off. He knew Eddie would have a heart attack if he saw him in his bed with his sneakers on. He scooted back until his back was against the headboard and crossed his legs under him. “You told me where you lived, remember? You said you hated being stuck alone with your mom so I thought I would come in to save the day. It kills me knowing I’m under the same roof as Ms. K though without being able to see her,” he whined dramatically, ignoring Eddie’s glower.

“Richie.” Eddie said crisply.

Richie blew out a breath and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Look man, I can’t have my Eds being all sad and shit when it’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year! I wanted to see you and celebrate Christmas with you, okay?” He scratched the back of his head and looked around Eddie’s room nervously, refusing to make eye contact with the smaller boy. “I brought Vodka too so you should be thanking me for bringing some levity to this shit.” He reached over the smaller boy and grabbed the bottle he had placed on the nightstand earlier, waving it in front of Eddie’s face.

Eddie blinked at him in confusion and half-heartedly swatted Richie’s hand away. “You came just to keep me company?” His heart was fluttering madly in his chest and he tried to ignore it as best as he could.

Richie nodded. “Well, that and I also wanted to see your mom.”

“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” Eddie said with no real heat, gently knocking Richie’s shoulder with his own. “That’s actually really swe—” he cut himself off and bit his lip nervously. There was a slightly uncomfortable, charged silence that Eddie eventually broke with a small, “Thanks, ‘Chee.” He glanced sideways at the curly haired boy next to him and looked away with a nervous swallow when they made eye contact.

Richie cleared his throat and sat up straighter, jostling Eddie slightly that had the other boy startle in surprise. “Well, alright, alright, alright!” Richie piped up suddenly in a terrible impression of Matthew McConaughuey. He lifted the bottle of vodka over his head and turned to smile widely down at Eddie. “Let’s drink!”

———————

“Edddddiiieeeeee you’re so prettttyyyyyy.”

Eddie giggled into his palm, one hand slapped over his own mouth so not to wake his mother. “Shut up Richie. No I’m not.”

Richie stared at him wide eyed. “YES, you _are.” _He reached a hand out and booped Eddie on the nose. He let out a small, breathless laugh. “Boop. Boop. Boop.”

Eddie scrunched his nose up and circled a hand around Richie’s wrist, stopping the other boy before he could tap him on the nose again. “Stop that, Rich,” he slurred, a soft smile on his face. “I’m going to boop you,” he mumbled.

“That doesn’t even make sense, Eds,” Richie laughed, eyes crinkling as he scooted a little closer to Eddie. “You have a lot of freckles,” he said suddenly. “It’s so cute. I love your freckles.”

Eddie groaned and turned to hide his face into his pillow. “Stop,” he said, voice muffled.

“Why? It’s trueeeeeee. _I love Eddie’s freckles. They make me wanna… frickle-frackle,” _Richie sing-songed.

Eddie muffled his laughter into his pillow before turning to face Richie again. “What the fuck? You’re so drunk,” Eddie said through another round of giggles.

Richie smiled fondly at him. “Yeah, drunk on _love._”

Eddie snorted. “Oh God. You’re so annoying. I hate you.”

“You don’t really mean that, do you Eds?” Richie asked with a big pout on his face as he stared at Eddie through wide, puppy dog eyes.

Eddie stared owlishly at him for a moment, eyes roaming across the other boy’s pale face. Eddie thought he looked beautiful. Even with his wild hair and glasses skewed on his face from one side being pressed against the pillow, Eddie thought Richie Tozier was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in all his life.

“I don’t,” he said softly. “I think you’re great, Richie.”

Richie grinned devilishly at him. “I may be drunk, but I am going to make _sure_ I remember this in the morning.”

Eddie let out another groan. “Forget I said anything.”

“I think you’re great too,” Richie said after a moment. “I think you’re funny and feisty and smart and kind and loyal and you’re hot as fuck and so, so, so cute, which shouldn’t make any sense because how the fuck can someone be both sexy and adorable at the same time? And it— _you _drive me crazy every time I see you and I just… I think you’re great, Eds. I just wanted you to know that.” Richie may have been drunk, but there was nothing but the truth in the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. His inebriated state did nothing more than give him the confidence to say how he really felt about Eddie.

“Richie…” Eddie breathed.

“I know you’re with Jackson,” Richie continued, “but I really fucking wish you weren’t. You deserve better.”

“Richie, I—”

“It’s a-okay, Eds,” Richie interrupted. “No need to let me down easy. I can—” He cut himself off and blinked down in surprise as the smaller boy scooted closer to him. Eddie was so close now that Richie could count every freckle on his face. So close that he could see the golden flecks in Eddie’s brown eyes, even in the dim lighting. So close that if Richie scooted forward just a little bit, their foreheads would be touching.

“Eds?” He asked hesitantly.

“Shut up,” Eddie whispered, taking Richie’s glasses off his face. “Your breath reeks of vodka.”

Richie squinted at him, his heart beating a mile a minute. “What are yo—”

Eddie let out an irritated huff. “Shut _up,_ Richie,” he repeated. And before Richie could even comprehend what was happening, Eddie grabbed Richie’s face in both his hands and closed the distance between them, pressing his lips gently to the other boy’s.

It took a second for Richie to respond. He stared helplessly at Eddie, not understanding what was happening. Why was Eddie so close? Why was Eddie touching his lips? It wasn’t until the smaller boy started to pull back uncertainly that Richie kicked his brain into action and kissed Eddie back with fervor, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s middle and rolling them so that the other boy was on top of him. Richie let out an involuntary groan as Eddie slipped his thigh between Richie’s leg.

“Fuck,” he muttered, pulling away from Eddie to catch his breath. “Fuck, Eddie, wait,” he repeated when the other boy leaned down to kiss him again.

“What?” Eddie asked, eyes wide and dark as he stared down predatorily at Richie.

“What are we doing?”

Eddie let out a small huff of laughter. “Making out, I think.” He placed a hand on Richie’s cheek and leaned down, but ended up kissing the corner of Richie’s mouth as the taller boy turned his head to the side.

“Eddie, stop.”

“Why?” Eddie whined. He straightened up and glowered down at Richie. _Fuck, Eddie was so cute— even when he was mad._

“Eds,” Richie said softly. “You’re drunk. Hell, _I’m _drunk and I can’t— I don’t…” he pressed his head back further into the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “You’re with Jackson, man.”

Eddie stared wide eyed down at Richie, like he had just seen a ghost. “Fuck,” he said in a shaky voice, sliding off of the taller boy. “Jackson, I…” he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. “Oh fuck,” he repeated softly, almost to himself.

Richie pushed himself up into a sitting position and smiled sadly at Eddie. “Yeah,” he said in a voice just as soft as Eddie’s. “Hand me my glasses, will ya? I can’t see shit.”

“Oh, um.” Eddie fumbled around the bed for a few seconds, searching blindly for Richie’s glasses before successfully turning them over to the other boy’s outstretched palm.

“Thanks,” Richie said, sliding his glasses back onto his face.

There was an awkward moment of silence between them.

“Richie, I—”

“I should probably go.”

They spoke at the same time.

Eddie blinked. “Oh. Um, yeah, okay.” He sat himself up and scooted back until his back hit the headboard. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them in a protective hold as he watched Richie clamber out of the bed. “Wait, Rich, where are you gonna go?”

The other boy swayed on his feet and squinted at Eddie. “Um, my car? I guess? I’ll spend the night there and take off in the morning.”

Eddie, even in his drunken stupor, knew what a horrible idea that was. He rolled his eyes. “You can stay with me. You’re drunk.”

“Eddie, I don’t wanna—”

“Shut up. It’s fine. Come back in bed,” Eddie said. He folded the blanket back and patted the space Richie was occupying just a moment before. “Please,” he added when the other boy did nothing but just stare stupidly down at him, still swaying to and fro.

Richie took a hesitant step forward. Eddie reached forward and grabbed his arm, yanking him down onto the bed next to him. “I said it’s fine, Richie. Go to bed.”

“Thanks, Eds,” Richie said quietly, crawling under the covers and scooting as far away from Eddie as possible. He turned so he was facing the wall.

Eddie tried not to let the extra space between them hurt him and instead reached over to turn his bedside lamp off, throwing his room into darkness. He tucked himself into his bed, rolling over so that his back was to Richie, and stared unblinkingly at the glow of his alarm clock. Eddie had a feeling he would have trouble going to sleep tonight.

_Beep._

Midnight.

“Merry Christmas, Richie,” Eddie said in a voice so soft it was practically a whisper.

There was a small moment of silence where Eddie thought that the other boy had fallen asleep, but before he could turn his head to check, he heard Richie respond in a small voice,

“Merry Christmas, Eds. I’m glad I’m here with you.”

Inexplicably, Eddie started to tear up. “Me too," he said softly.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading this from my phone so I apologize in advance for any mistakes!! I haven’t read through it before posting. 
> 
> This chapter is texting only! I know I say it all the time, but I don’t like this chapter cjckfkf hopefully u guys will though? 
> 
> Thank you for reading <3 I’ll check through this when I go home on my laptop and fix any mistakes then

(10:52pm) Stan: What? Eddie, are you okay?

(10:52pm) Mike: Is Eddie about to get murdered?

(10:58pm) Ben: Um should we call him?

(10:59pm) Mike: Maybe?…

(10:59pm) Bill: no wait don’t

(10:59pm) Bill: I think he’ll be fine

(10:59pm) Stan: How do you know?

(10:59pm) Bill: I just do

(10:59pm) Stan: Well, that’s not reassuring at all.

(10:59pm) Bill: Eddie’s fine

(11:00pm) Bill: I’m going to bed guys goodnight

(11:00pm) Mike: Alright Bill if you say so…

(11:00pm) Mike: Goodnight

(8:28am) Ben: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(8:29am) Bill: Merry Christmas guys :)

(8:29am) Stan: Bah Humbug.

(8:30am) Bill: ok scrooge

(8:30am) Stan: Just kidding. Merry Christmas! Even though I don’t celebrate.

(8:31am) Mike: Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you’ll all have a great day :)

(8:31am) Bev: MERRY CHRISTMAS YA FILTHY ANIMALS!

(8:31am) Bev: wait i just saw all the texts from last night

(8:31am) Bev: is eddie dead

(8:32am) Stan: Probably.

(8:32am) Bill: no

(8:32am) Mike: Eddie are you alive??

(10:57am) Bev: guess he really is dead

(11:10am) Eddie: im here

(11:11am) Eddie: merry christmas

(11:11am) Bev: eddie!!!

(11:11am) Stan: What happened last night?

(11:12am) Eddie: what

(11:12am) Eddie: how the fuck did u know about that

(11:12am) Stan: Know about what?

(11:12am) Stan: I was talking about the person at your window that made you freak out.

(11:12am) Eddie: oh wait me too

(11:13am) Bill: ……

(11:13am) Stan: Edward.

(11:13am) Eddie: oops my ma’s calling me to come down and open gifts bye!

(11:13am) Bill: ………………

(11:14am) Bev: um ok… so anyways…

(11:14am) Bev: where’s rich?

———————

(11:13am) _Stan: Anything you want to tell me?_

(11:18am) Eddie: no

———————

(11:13am) **billiam: what happened with u and Eddie last night?**

(11:42am) **Trashmouth: i fucked up bill**

(11:42am) **billiam: what happened?**

(11:47am) **Trashmouth: we kissed**

(11:47am) **billiam: Richie…**

(11:47am) **Trashmouth: HE kissed ME bill**

(11:48am) **Trashmouth: and then he kinda freaked when i mentioned jackson**

(11:48am)** Trashmouth: i was gonna leave** **but he told me to spend the night so i did**

(11:48am) **Trashmouth: but i left early this morning before he woke up**

(11:49am) **billiam: Jesus**

(11:49am) **billiam: have you texted him?**

(11:49am) **Trashmouth: no**

(11:49am) **Trashmouth: idk what to do bill FUCK**

(11:49am) **Trashmouth: what would i even say?**

(11:50am) **Trashmouth: “hey last night was great sorry for leaving without saying bye i just realized how in love with you i am and i couldnt handle it so i ran” ???**

(11:50am) **Trashmouth: i dont think him OR jackson would take that very well**

(11:51am) **billiam: wait**

(11:51am) **billiam: you’re in love with him? like in love in love?**

(11:51am) **Trashmouth: no bill im in like with him.**

(11:51am) **Trashmouth: YES im in love with him**

(11:51am) **Trashmouth: even more now if thats even possible**

(11:52am) **Trashmouth: but he’s with Jackson u said it yourself**

(11:52am) **billiam: I’m sorry Rich idk what to say…**

(11:52am) **Trashmouth: yeah well**

(11:52am) **Trashmouth: it’s fine**

(11:52am) **Trashmouth: ill get over him**

(11:53am) **Trashmouth: damn. some christmas huh?**

———————

(12:02pm) **Bill: we have a problem**

(12:02pm) _Stan: What’s wrong? Is everything okay?_

(12:02pm) **Bill: I’m fine but I dont think Richie and Eddie are**

(12:03pm) _Stan: Oh, God. What did those idiots do this time?_

(12:03pm) **Bill: Eddie kissed Richie last night**

(12:04pm) _Stan: What._

(12:04pm) **Bill: I know**

(12:04pm) _Stan: What about Jackson?_

(12:04pm) **Bill: he doesnt know**

(12:04pm) _Stan: Jesus._

(12:04pm) _Stan: Be right back._

———————

(12:05pm) _Stan: You kissed Richie?_

(12:05pm) Eddie: what the fuck

(12:05pm) _Stan: Don’t deny it. Bill told me and Richie told Bill._

(12:05pm) Eddie: im gonna fucking murder that trashmouth

(12:05pm) _Stan: Eddie._

(12:05pm) Eddie: UGH

(12:05pm) Eddie: yeah we kissed

(12:06pm) _Stan: Did you like it?_

(12:06pm) Eddie: STAN

(12:06pm) _Stan: Well did you?_

(12:06pm) Eddie: …

(12:06pm) Eddie: yeah

(12:06pm) _Stan: Okay. What about Jackson?_

(12:06pm) Eddie: what about him?

(12:06pm) _Stan: Are you going to break up with him?_

(12:06pm) Eddie: idk…

(12:07pm) _Stan: Well you like Richie, don’t you?_

(12:07pm) Eddie: yeah i do

(12:07pm) Eddie: god help me

(12:07pm) Eddie: but he likes someone else stan

(12:07pm) Eddie: and jackson’s nice enough…

(12:07pm) Eddie: he’s not richie but he’ll help me get over him

(12:07pm) _Stan: Wait, what?_

(12:07pm) _Stan: What makes you think Richie likes someone else?_

(12:07pm) Eddie: i overheard u and richie talking about some guy he really likes

(12:08pm) _Stan: When?_

(12:08pm) Eddie: a few months ago at the library

(12:08pm) Eddie: i asked u about it but you wouldnt tell me

(12:09pm) _Stan: Eddie, you dumb bitch._

(12:10pm) Eddie: what the

(12:10pm) Eddie: rude

(12:11pm) _Stan: He was talking about you._

(12:11pm) _Stan: I didn’t want to tell you because A) It wasn’t my secret to tell and B) I wasn’t sure how you felt about him yet._

(12:11pm) Eddie: wait what

(12:11pm) Eddie: wait

(12:11pm) Eddie: richie likes me?

(12:11pm) _Stan: Did you seriously not know? Eddie, he’s been flirting with you non-stop since the moment you two met._

(12:11pm) Eddie: i thought he was joking

(12:12pm) _Stan: Oh my god. You’re an idiot._

———————

(12:12pm) _Stan: Sorry about Eddie. He’s an idiot._

(12:13pm) **Bill: ???**

(12:13pm) **Bill: what happened?**

(12:13pm) _Stan: Apparently Eddie didn’t know that all these months of Richie flirting with him was him being genuine. _

(12:13pm) _Stan: I left him to have his big, gay freakout moment by himself._

(12:13pm) **Bill: wait what?**

(12:14pm) **Bill: so Eddie likes Richie now?**

(12:14pm) _Stan: Eddie’s always liked Richie. I think the only reason why he started dating Jackson in the first place was to try and get over Richie._

(12:14pm) **Bill: wait i dont think Richie knows Eddie likes him back**

(12:15pm) _Stan: What?_

(12:15pm) **Bill: funny story haha**

(12:15pm) **Bill: i didn’t know either**

(12:15pm) **Bill: so i’ve kinda been encouraging Richie to try and move on from Eddie…**

(12:15pm) _Stan: Oh my god. You guys are all idiots._

(12:16pm) **Bill: hey ;(**

(12:16pm) _Stan: I’m only joking._

(12:16pm) _Stan: Sort of._

(12:16pm) _Stan: Be right back._

———————

(12:17pm) _stanusanus: Richie._

(12:19pm) **Trashmouth: what**

(12:19pm) _stanusanus: You kissed Eddie?_

(12:19pm) **Trashmouth: im gonna fucking kill ur big mouth boyfriend staniel**

(12:19pm) **Trashmouth: & technically eds kissed me**

(12:19pm) **Trashmouth: but dont worry**

(12:19pm) **Trashmouth: ill keep my dirty trashmouth self away from good lil eds and his perfect boyfriend**

(12:20pm) **Trashmouth: bill already had a talk w/ me so sry to break it to ya but i already know ok?**

(12:20pm) **Trashmouth: i dont need 2 hear it from u too**

(12:22pm) _stanusanus: You’re a moron, Richie._

(12:22pm) **Trashmouth: so ive been told**

(12:22pm) _stanusanus: No, you’re actually a MORON. How can both of you be this stupid?_

(12:23pm) **Trashmouth: ok…. u lost me what the frick r u talking about**

(12:23pm) _stanusanus: Eddie likes you._

(12:23pm) **Trashmouth: like as a friend?**

(12:23pm) _stanusanus: I cannot believe we’re having this conversation._

(12:23pm) _stanusanus: I feel like we’re back in middle school_.

(12:23pm) **Trashmouth: ???**

(12:23pm) _stanusanus: Richie. Eddie likes you as more than a friend._

(12:23pm) _stanusanus: Do I really have to spell it out for you like this?_

(12:23pm) **Trashmouth: wait**

(12:24pm) **Trashmouth: what??????**

(12:24pm) **Trashmouth: but jackson???**

(12:24pm) **Trashmouth: stan what the fuck**

(12:27pm) **Trashmouth: STAN**

(12:39pm) **Trashmouth: STANLEY U CANT JUST SAY THAT AND GHOST ME WHAT THE FUCK**

(12:41pm) _stanusanus: Just talk to Eddie, Rich._

(12:41pm) **Trashmouth: WAIT**

———————

(12:41pm) _Stan: My work here is done. I can’t believe I have two idiots as friends._

(12:41pm) **Bill: awww you’re like their fairy godmother**

(12:42pm) _Stan: Oh god. Please don’t say that._

(12:42pm) **Bill: so are they gonna get their shit together and date now or**

(12:42pm) _Stan: One can only hope._

(12:42pm) **Bill: well…. let’s hope two idiots make a right**

(12:43pm) _Stan: That’s not the sayi— nevermind. You’re right._

(12:43pm) **Bill: we need to ask for a Christmas miracle when it comes to those two**

(12:43pm) _Stan: True._

(12:43pm) _Stan: We’ll have to wait to see how this all plays out_…

———————

(5:09pm) Mike: How has everyone’s Christmas been so far?

(5:09pm) Bev: _Sent a picture_

(5:09pm) Mike: Awwwwww you guys are so cute :)

(5:09pm) Bill: Ben what are you wearing…

(5:09pm) Ben: It’s my ugly Christmas sweater

(5:10pm) Richard.: ugly is right

(5:10pm) Richard.: what the FUCK is that benny boy xD

(5:10pm) Bev: oh like your hawaiian shirts are any better?

(5:10pm) Stan: She got you there.

(5:10pm) Bill: yeah Richie you’re really not allowed to comment on other people’s fashion choices

(5:10pm) Richard.: leave richie alone challenge ;(

(5:10pm) Richard.: it’s christmas u have 2 be nice to me

(5:10pm) Stan: So? I’m Jewish.

(5:10pm) Richard.: it’s hannukah u have 2 be nice to me

(5:10pm) Stan: It’s not Hannukah, Richie.

(5:14pm) Eddie: someone pls save me

(5:14pm) Mike: Whats wrong?

(5:14pm) Eddie: my ma’s making me go with her to visit her sister all the way in portland which is like 3 hours away

(5:15pm) Mike: Portland sounds fun!!

(5:15pm) Eddie: it’s not

(5:15pm) Eddie: she’s only doing this bc i told her i was gonna head back to campus after dinner and she didnt want me to leave so soon

(5:15pm) Eddie: so now suddenly we have plans with her sister even tho it’s gonna be like 8pm by the time we get there UGH

(5:15pm) Mike: Aww sorry Eddie :(

(5:16pm) Eddie: it’s fine im leaving first thing tomorrow

(5:16pm) Richard.: wait so ur not gonna be home

(5:16pm) Eddie: no why

———————

(5:19pm) **Richard.: hi**

(5:19pm) Eddie: …. hi?

(5:19pm) **Richard.: r u rly going to ur aunts**

(5:19pm) Eddie: yes??? do u think im lying?

(5:19pm) **Richard.: IDK EDS U COULD BE! :O**

(5:20pm) Eddie: why??? literally why would i lie about that

(5:22pm) **Richard.: idk maybe bc u wanna avoid me or something idk**

(5:22pm) Eddie: what?

(5:22pm) **Richard.: KDFJDKFJ**

(5:22pm) Eddie: what the fuck richie

(5:23pm) **Richard.: can we talk in person when you get back?**

(5:23pm) Eddie: about what

(5:23pm) **Richard.: dont act dumb eds only im allowed 2 do that**

(5:24pm) Eddie: …yeah we can talk

(5:24pm) Eddie: when will u be back on campus?

(5:24pm) **Richard.: im heading back already**

(5:24pm) Eddie: u better not be texting and driving asshole

(5:24pm) **Richard.: awww i didn’t know u cared eddie bear <3**

(5:24pm) Eddie: ???

(5:24pm) Eddie: of course i care dipshit

(5:24pm) **Richard.: dont worry spaghetti man i am not texting and driving putting my valuable life in danger :)**

(5:24pm) Eddie: good

(5:24pm) Eddie: the world doesnt need to be exposed to richie brain splattered on the sidewalk when u plow into another car and die

(5:25pm) **Richard.: thats real nice eds thx :p**

(5:25pm) Eddie: whatever

(5:25pm) **Richard.: xD**

(5:25pm) **Richard.: have fun in portland**

(5:25pm) **Richard.: see u when u get back :p**

(5:25pm) Eddie: thanks rich

(5:25pm) Eddie: see you then :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all will enjoy this one! Please ignore any mistakes I haven't edited before posting. As always, thank you for reading!! <3

(4:48pm) Eddie: im back

(4:48pm) **Richard.: im already on my way**

———————

Eddie startled when he heard a knock on his door and stood up from his bed, toying with the inhaler in his pocket nervously. He was sure it was Richie standing on the other side of the door and Eddie was suddenly Not Ready for this conversation. Hiding behind a phone screen was so much easier. Eddie was sure he would suffer an asthma attack if he thought too long and hard about talking to Richie face to face. Fuck his anxiety.

He gripped his inhaler tighter and let out a big breath. “C’mon, Eds,” he muttered to himself. “Don’t be such a fucking coward for once in your life. It’s just Richie.”

With a little nod of his head to assure himself, he wrapped his hand around the cool doorknob and opened the door.

“Jackson?” He blurted, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

Jackson was standing in the small hallway bundled up in a thick scarf and grey coat, gloved hands holding a neatly wrapped package. He met Eddie’s eye at the sound of his voice and smiled widely down at him. “Hey Eddie.” He leaned down to place a kiss on Eddie’s cheek. “Surprise! I decided to come back early,” the blond said, unraveling his scarf from around his neck. “Oh, here, this is for you.” He pushed the small box into Eddie’s hands. “Your late Christmas gift.”

Eddie blinked dumbly down at the glittery red and gold box in his hands, still trying to make sense of the fact that Jackson was here. At his dorm. Where Richie would be any second now. A muttered curse slipped past his lips. “Thank you,” he said with a smile he was sure looked more like a grimace. “I didn’t get you anything.”

Jackson shrugged. “It’s okay,” he said as he stepped forward to make his way into Eddie’s dorm. The smaller boy stepped with him, so that he was still blocking the way inside. Jackson looked at him curiously. “Aren’t you going to let me in?

Eddie bit his lip nervously as his eyes darted to the end of the hall, watching with bated breath for a lanky, dark haired boy to round the corner. Unless Eddie wanted another stern “talking to,” Richie was absolutely not allowed in Eddie’s building— at least not while Jackson was present.

“Hey,” Eddie said suddenly. “Why don’t we grab dinner? My treat for not getting you a Christmas gift.”

Jackson scrunched his nose up in distaste and stared down at Eddie disdainfully. “I already ate.”

Eddie’s phone buzzed in succession in his pocket. It was probably Richie texting him that he was on his way up. He tried not to panic. “Coffee, then?” He asked desperately. “Please Jackson,” he said at the look on Jackson’s face. “I’ve been driving all day and I could really use some caffeine or something.”

The blond let out a big sigh and rolled his eyes. “Alright fine,” he said finally. “Go get a coat. It’s freezing outside.”

“Okay,” Eddie said with a vigorous nod of his head. “I’ll just, uh,” he held Jackson’s gift to him up and shook it slightly. “I’ll open this later.”

Jackson nodded in lieu of saying anything.

Eddie smiled. “Um, okay. Oh, let me just grab my phone too. It’s charging.” He shut the door halfway behind him and placed the decorated box gently on his desk before reaching for his jacket hanging on the back of his chair. Quickly shrugging it on, he pulled his phone from his pocket and scanned through his latest messages.

(5:00pm) **Richard.: sry im taking so long i stopped 2 get food since i figured u would b hungry after ur drive back**

(5:00pm) **Richard.: hope mcdonalds is ok :D**

(5:00pm) **Richard.: jk i kno u hate that shit**

(5:00pm) **Richard.: i got pizza and candy and we can watch a movie or something?**

(5:00pm) **Richard.: hope u have something other than fucking sparkling water tho bc i didnt get drinks**

(5:00pm) **Richard: and a netflix acc bc bill changed his password and locked me out ;(**

(5:00pm) **Richard: anyways**

(5:00pm) **Richard.: ill be up in 5 <3**

(5:02pm) Eddie: wait rich dont come up jacksons here

Just as Eddie was about to send his response, his door creaked open and he dropped his phone in surprise at Jackson’s booming voice.

“What’s taking so long?” The blond asked in annoyance as he leaned against Eddie’s doorframe. He tracked Eddie’s movements with a raised eyebrow as the smaller boy bent down to pick up his phone. “Who were you texting?”

Eddie blinked up at him guiltily. “Just my mom,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t betray the nerves he felt at being snuck up on. He locked his phone, unable to send his message to Richie with Jackson eyeing him suspiciously. “She’s upset that I’m already back here and not spending more time with her.” He let out a small, forced chuckle and shoved his phone back into his pocket, straightening up. “Come on. Let’s go,” Eddie said hastily before Jackson could respond. He gently grabbed Jackson’s elbow as he passed and pulled him back out into the hallway before shutting the door to his dorm softly behind him. “I really, really need some caffeine right now.”

———————

(5:06pm) **Richard.: open up!!! ur favorite person is heeeerrreeee <3333**

(5:07pm) **Richard.: uhhh eds r u gonna let me in**

(5:07pm) **Richard.: as sexy as ur front door is, id rather see UR sexy face instead <3**

(5:09pm) **Richard.: r u shitting or something xD**

(5:12pm) **Richard.: haha ok eds not funny anymore**

(5:12pm) **Richard.: where the fuck r u dude?**

(5:15pm) **Richard.: eddie??**

(5:17pm) **Richard.: if you didn’t want to talk you should’ve just said.**

(5:17pm) **Richard.: sorry for bothering you.**

(5:17pm) **Richard.: fuck.**

———————

“You’re not gonna answer that?”

Eddie tore his gaze away from the window where he had been staring worriedly at the quickly darkening sky and faced Jackson. “What?”

The blond pointed lazily at Eddie’s phone with one finger. “You’re phone’s blowing up. Who is it?” He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward to get a better look at Eddie’s screen.

Eddie hastily flipped his phone over so it was face down. “Probably my mom. It’s nobody, sorry. I’ll silence it.”

Jackson leaned back in his seat and arched an eyebrow at him. “No, it’s fine. I gotta go to the bathroom anyways. You should text your mom back.” He stood up from the table, his chair squeaking against the floor, and went to the counter to ask the tired looking barista where the bathroom was.

Eddie watched him until he disappeared into a dark alcove. As soon as Jackson was out of sight, Eddie reached for his phone and unlocked it, scrolling as quickly as he could through his unread messages.

(7:02pm) **Bill: hey Eddie do u know what’s wrong with Richie?**

(7:02pm) **Bill: he left a voicemail earlier that i just now listened to**

(7:02pm) **Bill: he’s not answering his phone now and i figured maybe he was with u if you’re back on campus now?**

—

(7:02pm) _Stan: Eddie, what’s going on?_**  
**

(7:02pm) _Stan: Richie’s really upset. What happened?_

Eddie let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. Fuck. In his rush to get Jackson out and away from his dorm, he had completely forgotten to text Richie back. His phone buzzed again with a new message from Bill.

(7:05pm) **Bill: got in touch with Richie**

(7:05pm) **Bill: not that u would care**

(7:05pm) **Bill: fuck you**

Eddie’s heart skipped a beat — and not in a good way — at Bill’s latest text and he winced. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed up a response as fast as he could.

(7:05pm) Eddie: u dont underst

_Incoming call from Stan_

Eddie tapped the green icon on his screen to accept the call and brought his phone up to his ear.

“Hello?”

_“Hi,”_ Stan said in a voice so sharp and displeased that Eddie could hear even through the fuzzy phone line._ “Why did you blow Richie off?”_ He asked, cutting straight to the chase.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Eddie ground out in irritation, voice high and squeaky with nerves. “Jackson showed up out of the blue and I didn’t want him to see Richie. I didn’t even have time to pull out my phone and text him,” he explained, eyes squeezed shut and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the line.

_“Okay?” _Stan said after a second, sounding confused. _“Why couldn’t Jackson see Richie?”_

Eddie winced when he heard Bill’s unmistakable voice over the line.

_“Because Eddie’s a coward who’s just using Jackson as an excuse. It’s pathetic and Richie deserves better!”_

Stan sighed deeply into the line. There was a bit of scuffling and then Eddie heard Stan’s slightly muffled voice, unable to discern what he was saying as Stan’s hand was pressed against the speaker, say something to Bill. Eddie sat in silence and waited, phone held up to his ear while his other hand fiddled idly with his coffee on the table, finger circling the rim of the mug. “Stan?” He asked gently when the he could no longer bear the silence.

_“Yeah,”_ Stan said in a clearer voice, his voice back by the speaker. _“I’m still here, sorry.”_

“I haven’t been able to text Richie yet. Will you tell him I’m really sorry if you talk to him before I do?”

_“Eddie I really think you should do that yo—”_

“Shit. I gotta go,” Eddie said hastily into the receiver, cutting Stan off when he spotted Jackson walking back towards him.

_“Wai—”_

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Eddie hung up the phone and placed it back face down on the table just as Jackson pulled his chair back out and sat in it. “That your mom?” He asked, nodding his head slightly in the direction of Eddie’s phone.

“Yeah,” Eddie responded in a strained voice, trying not to let his nerves get the best of him.

“What’d she say?” Jackson asked before taking a sip of his drink.

Eddie swallowed past the growing lump in his throat. “Just wishing me a Happy New Year.” He hated feeling like he had to hide his friends from Jackson, but he knew that the blond wasn’t too fond of them— especially Richie.

Jackson hummed noncommittally and pulled out his own phone, checking the time. “Shit,” he muttered.

Eddie glanced at him inquisitively. “What?” He asked as he watched Jackson stand back up from the table and throw his coat back on.

The blond met Eddie’s eyes briefly over his phone screen before glancing back down at it, fingers flying fast over the keyboard. “Forgot that I was meeting up with some of my buddies who are back for a birthday celebration. I’m late.”

“Oh,” Eddie said blankly, staring up at him. He hadn’t realized Jackson had made other plans for the night. “Have fun?”

Jackson pocketed his phone. “Thanks. You don’t need a ride back to your dorm, do you? I would offer, but I’m already running behind…” he trailed off and looked at Eddie with a sort of face that showed he absolutely did not want to give the smaller boy a ride back.

“I—” Eddie stopped and cleared his throat. He had gotten the message. “Um, no. It’s fine. I’ll just find an Uber. Go have fun at the party,” he said, faking his enthusiasm as best as he could muster. Jackson leaned down to press a brief kiss to Eddie’s forehead before smiling at him and waving one hand in farewell.

“I’ll see you later!” He called out, walking backwards and away from Eddie and accidentally hitting the corner of an unoccupied table as he past. The tired looking barista from before frowned slightly from behind the counter when Jackson made no move to pick up the fallen napkin dispenser, but stayed silent and turned away.

Eddie threw Jackson a tight lipped smile and watched his figure through the window getting smaller and smaller until the blond was no longer in his line of sight. With a frustrated groan, Eddie reached for his phone and unlocked it, tapping on the app store and searching for the Uber app to download. Of course Jackson would just leave him here with no way to get home. Granted, it was Eddie’s idea in the first place to go out, but still. He bounced his knee repeatedly in impatience as he waited for the Uber app to download. The wifi at the cafe was incredibly slow and Eddie Kaspbrak was not a patient person.

Eddie sat and stared at his phone listlessly, bottom lip caught between his teeth as he swiped out of the app store and into his messaging app. He pulled Richie’s texts up and read through his last texts, feeling guiltier the more times he read through them. Richie deserved to hear from Eddie himself why he had stood him up.

(5:17pm) **Richard.: if you didn’t want to talk you should’ve just said.**

(5:17pm) **Richard.: sorry for bothering you.**

(5:17pm) **Richard.: fuck.******

(7:12pm) Eddie: oh my god rich im so fucking sorry

(7:12pm) Eddie: pls dont think i ignored u on purpose

(7:12pm) Eddie: i really wanted to see you and talk to you i SWEAR

(7:12pm) Eddie: but jackson showed up at my dorm and i panicked and i didnt want him to see u bc he doesnt like u and u dont like him and i just wanted to avoid the whole drama

(7:12pm) Eddie: im so sorry rich i really am

(7:12pm) Eddie: please believe me

(7:13pm) Eddie: i swear i tried to tell u before but i couldnt bc jackson was watching me

(7:13pm) Eddie: im sorry

Eddie sighed when he didn’t get a response back. He knew the other boy probably didn’t want to hear from him right now, but Eddie was hoping that Richie would understand.

He looked out the window and scowled again, his melancholy mood quickly turning even more sour when he noticed the already dark sky from earlier become even darker as big, ominous looking storm clouds rolled in. A sudden crack had him jump slightly in his seat and his frown deepened when he checked his phone to see that the Uber app had failed to download. Fuck.

Raindrops started to softly hit the glass, falling faster and faster until eventually, all Eddie could see was a big, blurry outline of trees, streetlights, and buildings. The previously populated street was now almost deserted as all the pedestrians who had been passing by had thrown themselves into the nearest buildings to keep out of the rain.

The way Eddie saw it was he had two options. He could either stay at the cafe and wait the storm out, or he could start walking the 30 minutes back to his dorm. Neither option seemed very appealing as it was now getting late and all Eddie wanted to do was throw himself into bed.

He tried one more time to download the Uber app, but groaned in frustration when it failed to download again. Eddie glanced back out the window at the swirling storm and the trees swaying dangerously in the harsh winds and sighed. There was no way he would be able to walk back home in this weather, especially without an umbrella or raincoat. Just as Eddie had resigned himself to be spending the next who knows how many hours at the cafe, his phone rang.

_Incoming call from Richard._

He had never picked his phone up so fast in his life.

“Richie!” Eddie practically yelled into the phone. He started blubbering nervously before the other boy could even get one word in. “I’m so fucking sorry, Chee, oh my god. I hope you got my texts because I swear to you I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose and Stan’s really mad at me too and Bill’s fucking _pissed _and I understand why, but I just panicked when I saw Jackson.” He took a big breath. “I’m so sorry,” he finished, leaning on his elbow and scratching at his forehead.

There was complete silence on the other end and Eddie moved his phone from his ear to check that the call hadn’t dropped. “Hello?”

_“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed before, but you talk really fucking fast. Did you know? Like seriously, Eds. Take a breather every once in a while, geez.”_

“Don’t call me Eds,” Eddie muttered, no real heat in his words. He had never been so happy to hear the nickname Eds in his whole life. “Are you still upset?” He asked hesitantly.

He heard Richie clear his throat over the line. _“No, uh, Stan told me what happened. And I read your ten million texts— thanks for that by the way. I guess I kind of overreacted too though. I should’ve known that you wouldn’t have ignored me like that on purpose. I was just… so excited to see you again.”_

Eddie smiled to himself. “Yeah, well. It’s my fault really. Jackson caught me off guard and I panicked.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Then,_ “Why are you so scared of him, Eds?”_

“What?”

_“Jackson,”_ Richie clarified. _“Every time you talk about him you act like he’s going to beat you up if you do something wrong. Would it really have been that bad if he saw me at your dorm today? I know he doesn’t like me and hell, I hate him too, but what’s he have against you hanging out alone with friends?”_

Before Eddie could respond, an especially loud crack of thunder had him startle in his seat again.

_“Holy shit,” _Richie breathed. _“I heard that here and over the line. I didn’t realize it was gonna storm so badly today.”_

“Me neither,” Eddie said quickly, jumping on the chance to change the subject from Jackson to something less likely to cause him to hyperventilate. “Do you know how long it’s supposed to rain?” He asked as he peered back out the window again. “It’s so dark out.”

Richie snorted. _“Are we really talking about the weather right now? What are we? Sixty?”_

Eddie scowled. “Yeah well, I’m stuck at this fucking cafe with no umbrella and no ride so forgive me for asking when this fucking torrential downpour will stop so I can finally go home.”

_“Oh. You’re still out with Jackson?”_

“No,” Eddie said sharply. “I’m still out, but not with Jackson. He left.”

_“What the fuck,”_ Richie said suddenly. _“That asshole just left you there? In this storm?”_

Eddie sighed. “No. Well, yes. But he left before the storm started.”

_“Who the fuck cares,” _Richie responded hotly. _“He still left you.” _A pause. Then, “_Where are you? I’ll come get you.”_

Eddie’s eyes widened and he shook his head even though Richie couldn’t see. “No Rich, it’s fine. I’ll just wait for the storm to pass.”

_“If you don’t tell me where you are, I’m just gonna drive all around town and look for you at every cafe.”_

Eddie’s lips pressed into a thin line. He knew that Richie was being deadly serious right now and he really didn’t want the other boy to be driving around all night in the storm. “Fine,” Eddie said in exasperation, throwing up one hand into the air. “I’m at Cafe Intermezzo.”

_“Cafe who the what now? Where the hell is that? I didn’t know my little spaghetti man was so posh going to cafes with fancy shmancy names like that.”_

“Shut the fuck up and google it, asshole,” Eddie bit into the speaker.

Richie laughed loudly over the line, the sound crackly and a little distorted. “Always so mean, Eds,” he cooed. “You should be nicer to me, babe. I’m risking my life going out in this storm for you.

Eddie resisted the urge to comment on the pet name — even though it gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling inside — and instead said, “It’s not like I asked you to come pick me up, dipshit. Don’t fucking come then. I’ll just wait here for the rain to stop,” he said with another scowl.

_“No can do Eddie bear,”_ Richie sing songed. _“I’m gonna pick you up and then we’re going to go back to your dorm and watch a movie and eat cold pizza all night. I say cold because it’s been sitting in my car for hours.”_

Eddie made a face. “That’s disgusting, Rich.”

_“Yeah, well.” _Richie cleared his throat. _“It would’ve been hot.”_

There was an awkward silence as Eddie took in the unsaid meaning behind those words. Eddie cleared his own throat uncomfortably, his expression softening even though no one was there to see. “You know I’m really sorry, right Rich?”

_“Yeah, yeah. I know, Eddie. Like I said, it’s fine. You can make it up to me by being my second hottest date tonight.”_

“Second?” Eddie asked in confusion.

_“Yeah,”_ Richie said. _“The first was your mom.”_

“Oh my fu— I’m gonna hang up now.”

Richie laughed loudly into the phone. _“Too easy. I’ll see you soon, Eds!”_

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The call dropped and Eddie moved his phone from his ear. Leaning back in his chair, he looked out at the window at the still surging storm and smiled in spite of himself. Now, there was nothing to do but wait. He scrolled aimlessly through his social media accounts, retweeting and liking various different posts, and before he knew it, his phone buzzed with a new message from Richie.

(7:41pm) **Richard.: im here i think**

(7:41pm) Eddie: coming

(7:41pm)** Richard.: that’s what she said ;)**

(7:41pm) Eddie: shut the fuck up

Eddie pushed his chair back and stood up from the table, grabbing his jacket and shrugging it back on. He pushed open the door and muttered a curse when the cold wind and harsh rain pelted down around him. He glanced briefly up at the dark sky from the safety of the awning and pulled his jacket a little tighter around himself before bracing himself to step out into the open. Eddie stared resolutely down at his feet as he hurried along, the heavy rain starting to soak through his layers already, and he felt himself start to shiver from the cold. “Jesus fuck,” he mumbled when a particularly strong gust of wind had the bottom of his jacket flapping furiously behind him.

Eddie hastened his steps towards Richie’s car, a beacon of potential warmth in the raging storm, and he yanked open the door to the passenger side, throwing himself in and slamming the door shut. “It’s cold as _fuck,_” he said in lieu of greeting. “Why’d you park so fucking far?” He muttered as another shiver racked through his body. He rubbed his hands together before holding them in front of the air vents. Richie’s car was a warm welcome and Eddie let out a little sigh in content as he felt himself warm up little by little.

“Hello to you too,” Richie said in amusement. He looked over at Eddie and eyed his thin jacket critically. “Is that all you’re wearing?”

Eddie looked down at himself self-consciously. “Yes?” He said, though it sounded more like a question.

“Jesus, Eds,” Richie sighed. “First you wear shorts to bed in the middle of winter, now you have a thin as fuck jacket on when it’s literally hurricane tortilla outside.”

“I— what? Hurricane what? What does that even _mean?_ And for your information, my sleep shorts are literally none of your business. Also, this jacket is fine.”

Richie snorted. “Whatever you say, Eds. Don’t come crying to me when you catch hypothermia and die. I’ll just say I told ya so.”

“Just shut the fuck up and drive,” Eddie said with a scowl, trying, but failing, to surreptitiously pull his jacket tighter around him.

Richie smiled fondly to himself, the movement out of the corner of his eye not missed by him, and he reached a hand out to crank the heater up, blasting stronger, hot air into the car. “Aye aye, Captain,” he said in his best imitation of a pirate out at sea. “Let us get back to yer dorm so we can eat pizza to our heart’s content. Arrggghh.”

Eddie giggled into his hand. “That was your worst one yet.”

Richie shrugged nonchalantly, trying to ignore the fluttering in his stomach at Eddie’s cute laughter. “Don’t hate, Eds. I’m working on it.”

———————

_Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._

The methodical sound of the windshield wipers working furiously against the torrential downpour was the only sound Jackson could hear as he watched from the warmth of his car through narrowed eyes as Eddie bounded into the unfamiliar car that had been parked a little ways away from the front of the cafe. He would bet anything that it was Richie Tozier behind the wheel and Jackson’s already sour mood darkened.

He had known from the moment Eddie answered the door back at the dorm that something was amiss. This just confirmed what he had been suspicious of all along.

Jackson had tried time and time again to teach Eddie not to lie. To just get him to tell the truth and not go behind his back, but the little whore didn’t ever seem to listen. He hated liars and cheaters. Eddie was unfortunately both and Jackson was no longer in the mood to play games. If Eddie refused to listen to him, well, then Jackson would just have to make him.

Putting his car into drive, Jackson slowly inched out of his own parking space and followed the unfamiliar car down the street. The heavy rain hit his car and distorted the view of the outside world and he kicked up the speed of his windshield wipers in annoyance.

_SqueakSqueakSqueakSqueakSqueakSqueakSqueak._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always feel like gossip girl when I add ending notes...
> 
> More angst! Sorry, I can't help myself hehe :) And now Jackson's back and he's not too happy with Eddie..... What'll happen next? I'll never tell.  
XOXO -Gossip Girl


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!! I hope you guys will enjoy and as always, thank you for all the love!!!
> 
> Ps I’m posting this from my phone again so please excuse any and all mistakes! I’ll look over it on my laptop when I get home :)

A particularly loud crack of thunder shook the building and Eddie scowled. “I hate storms,” he muttered as he shut the door behind him and started to shrug out of his wet and cold jacket. “Do you want something dry to change into?” He asked as he walked past Richie to his drawers, rummaging around for the thickest pair of sweatpants he could find and tossing them onto his bed, a sweatshirt following soon after. 

Richie snorted and sat himself in the desk chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “No offense Eds, but I don’t think any of your tiny elf clothes are going to fit me.”

“I’m not that short, asshole. I’m 5’9! That’s a perfectly respectable height!”

Richie blinked behind his glasses. “Really? You’re taller than Bill?” He squinted his eyes at Eddie and sized him up. “Huh. You are. I could’ve sworn you were like 5’6 when we first met.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and threw an old sweatshirt at Richie’s face as he passed back towards his bed. “That’s because you’re a fucking giant.” He pointed at the sweatshirt he had just thrown and said, “That’s Stan’s. Should fit since you guys are both tall assholes. Now look away so I can change.”

“There’s nothing to be shy about!” Richie said with a sly grin. “We’re both dudes here. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before Eds.” He threw the smaller boy a wink that had Eddie flushing red despite his disapproving frown.

“Shut the fuck up Richie and just look away or I’m going to kick you out.”

The taller boy turned away with his hands up in surrender and Eddie hurriedly changed out of his damp clothes into his much warmer, more comfortable ones. Richie hummed a random tune and stared at the wall, his back to Eddie, and swayed lightly on his feet.

“Okay I’m done.”

Richie turned back around and looked Eddie up and down, smiling softly. “Cute,” he muttered in a voice so low that Eddie wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear.

The smaller boy cleared his throat uncomfortably and self-consciously ran a hand through his hair, trying to pat it down after it had been ruffled slightly by the sweatshirt he had pulled over his head. He pointed at Stan’s sweatshirt Richie was still holding limply in one hand and said, “Don’t you want to change?”

Another sly grin made its way onto the bespectacled boy’s face. “If you wanted to see me out of my clothes so badly, all you had to do was ask,” he said with an over exaggerated wink as he lifted the bottom of his damp tee slightly.

Eddie flushed a bright red and scowled, turning his head and crossing his arms. “Just change, Richie. You’re gonna catch a cold.”

“Awwww, you _do_ care,” Richie cooed. There was the brief sound of rustling as he changed into Stan’s soft sweater and Eddie made sure to stare resolutely at a random spot on the floor— even though he was desperate to catch a small, quick glance at the leaner boy.

“Alright, princess. You don’t have to shield your virgin eyes from me anymore.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes and didn’t bother to respond. Instead, he opened his bedside table drawer and pulled out a candle lighter. The storm was starting to pick up outside and Eddie wanted to be prepared in case the power went out. He eyed the night sky nervously.

“Hey, what’s this?” Richie asked suddenly, picking a box up from Eddie’s desk.

Eddie turned his head to look back at the taller boy. “Oh. A Christmas gift,” Eddie said uneasily as he lit one of the wicks of the candle on his nightstand. He had completely forgotten about Jackson’s gift to him.

Richie stared at him strangely. “Aren’t you gonna open it?”

“Oh,” Eddie repeated again stupidly. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so nervous. “Yeah, okay.” He straightened up from where he had been hunched over lighting the candle and crossed the small room to his desk, plucking the shimmery red and gold gift out of Richie’s hand.

Richie sat himself back down in the chair, making Eddie feel even more uneasy than before as he was now towering over the usually taller boy.

“C’mon, Eds,” Richie whined. “Just tear into it.”

Eddie frowned and ignored him, taking care to open the messily wrapped gift. Richie rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything, and just waited patiently with his hands in his lap as he looked curiously up at the smaller boy.

Underneath the glitz and glamor of the beautiful wrapping paper was a plain, brown box. Eddie held the gift in one hand and used the other to gently remove the lid and place it down on his desk.

“What is it?” Richie asked as he scooted forward to the edge of the seat, straightening his back and tilting his head so he could get a better look at the contents of the box. “Is that a fucking purse?”

Placing the box down on the desk next to the lid, Eddie lifted the black satchel out and held it up in his hands, squinting at it in confusion. It was a nice bag made of leather and he knew without even looking at the price that it must’ve cost a fortune. He didn’t understand why Jackson had gifted such a thing to him though. It was too small to use for his school books, but too big to carry around casually— at least to Eddie it was. Besides, it wasn’t Eddie’s taste at all and he was confused as to why Jackson had given it to him in the first place. It’s not like Eddie had ever vocalized his need for a new bag and if he was being honest, he had absolutely no use for it.

“Uh, it’s a man purse,” Eddie said, the tinge of confusion still evident in his tone.

Richie snorted. “That doesn’t make it sound any better, Eds. Who gave you this piece of junk anyway? No offense, but this shit is ugly.” He grabbed the bag from Eddie and stared at it in disdain for a moment before adjusting the strap and slinging it around his shoulder. “How do I look?” He asked as he striked a ridiculous pose that startled a small laugh out of Eddie.

“Ha ha,” Eddie said sarcastically. “Give it back,” he said, reaching for the bag. “Jackson gave it to me.”

Richie muttered something low under his breath but passed the bag over to Eddie. “Why’d he give you this piece of crap?”

“It’s not a piece of crap,” Eddie responded on instinct. He slung the satchel around his shoulder and walked over to his full length mirror to observe himself. “It’s… nice,” he eventually settled on.

Richie raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief.

“Okay, yeah, it is a piece of crap, but I’m not gonna tell him that,” Eddie said through a small bubble of laughter when he caught Richie’s eye through the reflection. He took the bag off and handed it back to Richie who had been holding his hand out for it. “I guess I should text Jackson and thank him.”

“Eugh. Why?” Richie asked critically, turning the bag over and over again in his hands. “You would never wear something as ugly and pretentious as this,” he said with a frown before suddenly lighting up and saying, “Hey! Give it to Stanley! He’s ugly and pretentious so this is perfect for him!”

Eddie punched him lightly in the shoulder as he crossed the room to reach for the jacket he had been wearing before. “Shut up, Richie. I still have to thank him. And be nice to Stan,” he added with a slight frown, almost as an afterthought, as he slipped his hands into one of the pockets of the jacket, digging around for a moment before pulling out his phone in triumph.

“All I’m saying,” Richie continued, “is that I would never have given you something as so _un-Eddie_ like as this.”

Ignoring his friend, Eddie sat himself on the edge of the bed and pulled up Jackson’s message thread before thinking better of it and swiping to the phone icon instead. He glanced at Richie and held a finger up to his lips, the other holding his phone to his ear as he heard the line ring. _“Don’t say anything,”_ he warned when the other boy parted his lips to no doubt say something ridiculous.

_“Eddie,”_ Jackson greeted upon picking up the phone.

“Hi,” Eddie said softly, turning his gaze away from Richie to stare out his window. Heavy raindrops were still relentlessly hitting the glass and a flash of lightning danced across the sky, illuminating the outside world for a moment before throwing it back into darkness. “Are you still out at the birthday dinner?” He asked in confusion when he heard nothing but the faint rhythmic sound of something in the background on the other end.

_“Heading back now. The storm’s supposed to get worse apparently.”_

Eddie frowned and startled slightly when a sudden boom of thunder shook what seemed like the entire building. He had always hated storms. It was worse when he was a child, but he felt silly for being scared of them even at 19. Gentle rain he could deal with, but the fact that the already harsh storm was going to get worse had Eddie on edge.

Richie, sensing Eddie’s distress, stood up from his spot on the desk chair and made his way over to the bed, sitting gently beside the smaller boy and placing a hesitant hand on his knee. Eddie closed his eyes briefly, relishing in the contact, before snapping himself out of it and moving his leg away under the pretense of settling himself more comfortably in his bed. He grabbed his pillow and placed it in his lap, hugging it tightly to himself as he looked worriedly back out the window again.

_“You still there?”_

“Yeah, sorry,” Eddie huffed. “You’re not driving in this weather, are you?”

_“Course not, Eddie-bear,”_ Jackson cooed in what seemed like a mocking tone of voice that Eddie tried not to dwell on too much._ “Don’t worry about me. Just worry about yourself.”_

Eddie’s frown deepened and he tore his gaze away from the window to stare blankly at the photo of himself, Stan, and Bev he had hung back up on the wall months ago. He couldn’t help but think that something was wrong. Jackson only called him _Eddie-bear_ when he was in one of his moods.

“I’m okay,” Eddie said hesitantly after a small pause. “I’m back at my dorm.”

There was silence on the other end before Eddie heard Jackson’s low chuckle, a little distorted and hard to hear.

_“Glad you’re safe,”_ Jackson said.

Eddie coughed to fill the silence. “Yeah, um, actually, I called to thank you for the Christmas gift. It’s really nice. Thank you.”

Richie snorted into his hands that he tried to disguise as a cough when Eddie threw him a glare.

_“What was that? Someone with you?”_ Jackson asked lightly, casually, as if he already knew the answer.

“No,” Eddie lied, swallowing past the ball of anxiety he could feel rising up his throat. “I was just messing with the bag.” He quickly put his phone on speaker and set it on the desk before reaching for the gift. Bringing it closer to the mic, he zipped and unzipped the bag to make it seem like he had been fiddling with it all along. Richie stared at him strangely from his spot on the bed, but kept quiet.

Jackson hummed. _“I figured you could use a proper grown up bag, instead of using that fucking fanny pack all the time. It’s time for you to grow up a little now, don’t you think? Do me a favor and throw that piece of shit away?”_

Caught off guard, Eddie stood there and met Richie’s eye with a blank look. The taller boy was scowling.

“Oh,” Eddie breathed dumbly. “Okay.”

Richie threw him a look of disbelief and rolled his eyes before scowling again at the phone still set on Eddie’s desk.

_“Perfect,”_ Jackson responded. _“Those geeky fanny packs of yours have been getting on my nerves from the minute we met and I’m not going to let my **boyfriend**,”_ he stressed the word for reasons unknown to Eddie,_ “walk around wearing something as fucking moronic as that.”_

There was a small pause as if he was waiting for Eddie to respond, but when the line stayed silent, he let out a scoff and said, _“I gotta go, but I’ll see you soon Eddie-bear.”_

Eddie muttered his goodbyes, either not noticing or not caring about the underlying warning in Jackson’s tone, and hung up the phone. He sat himself back on his bed, making sure to keep a small gap between him and Richie, and tugged the pillow back over his lap.

“What a fucking _asshole,”_ Richie said hotly after a beat of silence.

“Richie,” Eddie said in a tired voice.

“No, don’t “Richie” me. What the _fuck?_ Why do you let him treat you like that?”

Eddie sighed and closed his eyes. “Treat me like what?” He asked, feigning innocence.

Richie’s eyes practically bulged out of his head as he stared at Eddie incredulously. “Treat you like wha— like a piece of _shit!_ That’s what!” He angrily stood up from the bed and ran a hand through his messy hair. “You deserve so much better! You deserve to be with someone who would hang the moon and the stars for you! Not a bastard that treats you like you’re the scum under his shoe! _You deserve a fucking fairytale, Eds, and—”_ he stopped and bit his lip, looking away from Eddie to stare nervously at the floor. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and turned to meet Eddie’s wide, brown eyes. “And if you give me a chance,” he said softly, the fight dissipating out of him, “I can make you _so_ fucking happy.”

Eddie could do nothing but stare dumbly up at him from his spot on the bed.

Richie grimaced and ran another hand through his hair, agitated. “Shit, I’m doing all this wrong.” He took another deep breath. “I like you, Eddie. A lot. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you from the moment you opened that cute little mouth of yours.” He let out a dry, awkward chuckle, trying to fill the tense silence with some kind of noise.

Eddie continued to just stare at Richie silently, his eyes big and wide.

_“Fuck,”_ Richie spit vehemently. The lack of response from the smaller boy was getting to him and he was suddenly aware that he may have read the entire situation completely wrong. “Fuck, Eds, I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. Stan told me you… he said that you… _Fuck!”_ Richie was going to _kill_ Stan. He really was. “I understand if you don’t feel the same way. I— I hope we can still stay friends though and uh, please don’t tell Jackson all that shit I said about him. I’ll leave you guys alone, _I swear.”_ He sunk down, defeated, in Eddie’s desk chair and put his head in his hands. “Sorry for fucking all this up,” Richie said softly.

There was another tense moment of silence where neither Richie or Eddie said anything. The taller boy, feeling increasingly uncomfortable and stripped bare by the minute, shook his head slightly at himself and rose from the chair, grabbing his tee and jacket from where he had left it on the floor. “I’ll just, uh, go then, I guess.”

“Richie, you fucking _idiot.”_

A roll of thunder followed his words that caught Richie off guard and he tensed, his back to Eddie. “Way to kick a guy when he’s down, Eds,” he said, voice wavering a little as he willed himself not to cry. He was 19 years old for fucks sake. He didn’t want to cry over a boy, but he couldn’t help it. He _loved_ Eddie. He _loved_ that little, angry, adorable hypochondriac and it was breaking his heart into a million pieces that he would never be able to be with him.

“Richie, come here.”

“Why?” Richie asked suspiciously, his back still to Eddie.

“Just come the fuck here, asshole,” Eddie huffed.

Richie sighed and turned back around, setting his tee and jacket down in the desk chair as he passed, and stood awkwardly in front of the smaller boy who was still sitting on the bed.

“Sit _down_, Jesus fucking Christ, you’re making me more nervous than I already am.”

A flash of lightning lit up the night sky and Eddie glanced out the window briefly before training his eyes on the floor, his nerves and anxiety sky rocketing as he saw Richie’s silted movements out of the corner of his eye.

“Uhhh, Eds,” Richie said when the silence between them had gone on for too long, “As great and totally not awkward as this is, is there a reason why you wan—”

“I like you too, Richie.”

“Oh. Okay yeah. Uh,” Richie cleared his throat. A small tinge of hope was blossoming in his chest that he tried hard to squash down. “What?”

Eddie sighed. “I like you too.”

Richie tried, but failed to hide his slowly growing smile. “Oh, that’s cool, Eds. Yeah no, really, it is, and I’m flattered, but your mom and I have this sweet thing going you see, so—”

“Beep beep,” Eddie hissed in frustration. “Can we not have a proper conversation about this like adults? Why do I even like you? What the fuck? How did this happen? You’re insufferable. You’re an idiot. You’re dirty and loud and obnoxious and you crack lame jokes and have shitty impressions, but I, _somehow_, still like you! Which doesn’t even make sense because you’re basically everything that I hate! But you’ve been driving me _crazy_ ever since our kiss on Christmas Eve and even when I’m trying _not_ to think about you— you and your big, dumb, ugly head comes creeping into my brain and I just— argh!”

Now it was Richie’s turn to blink dumbly.

“Nope!” Eddie said. “Shut the fuck up.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Richie protested.

Eddie ignored him and continued on his tirade. “I tried _so_ hard to get over you because I thought for sure that you didn’t like me back and I mean, why would you? Look at me,” he said as he gestured toward himself like that would explain everything. “I’m just… me.” He shot Richie a warning look when the taller boy opened his mouth to say something. “Seriously. And I overheard you telling Stan at the library a few months back that you liked someone and of course I was thinking _well, it couldn’t be me,_ so I ran to Jackson like an _idiot_ thinking that maybe he could help me get over you, but all he’s made me realize is that he’s not you,” Eddie finished. He was talking much too fast and he needed to take a breather before he exploded. Reaching over, he opened his bedside drawer and fumbled around for his inhaler. 

Richie watched him with a small smile on his face and waited for Eddie to calm himself down a little before speaking again. “I was talking to Stan about _you,_” Richie admitted. “But I didn’t want to fuck it all up because we had just met and we were barely even friends and I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo.”

Eddie shot him a deadpan look. “Too late for that now, don’t you think? You’re the weirdest fucking person I know Rich.”

Richie let out a laugh in spite of himself. Eddie continued to watch him with the same deadpan look, but soon cracked a smile and started to laugh along with him. He felt relieved, like a pressure was lifted off his chest at the confession, and he only started to laugh harder when he heard Richie’s croaking laughter join in.

Just then, an especially loud rumble of thunder shook the entire building. The lights flickered briefly, as if fighting to stay on, before the room was thrown into darkness. The only source of light was the little bubble around the nightstand— the candle Eddie had lit earlier still going strong. The laughter quickly died down from both boys as Eddie startled at the loud noise and sudden darkness. Richie instinctively scooted closer and reached forward to put a comforting arm around the smaller boy.

Eddie turned to meet Richie’s gaze, breath hitching when he saw just how close the taller boy was. He licked his lips nervously as Richie tracked the movement, leaning in a little closer.

“It’s okay, Eds…” Richie muttered softly, his breath fanning across Eddie’s lips. “It’s just thunder and a little bit of rain… no biggie.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed softly, shaking his head slightly and not moving away from Richie. “No biggie.”

Richie stared at the smaller boy through wide eyes, trying in vain to calm the racing of his heart. Eddie looked absolutely ethereal in the dim lighting. “Eds… Can I kiss you?”

Eddie closed his eyes and tried not to shiver at the other boy’s close proximity. “No,” he breathed. “I’m sorry.”

Richie felt his heart break into a million tiny little pieces. Immediately, the taller boy backed up, a hot flush decorating his cheeks as he ran a hand clumsily through his hair. He opened his mouth to say something— to crack a joke and dismiss all of this as a prank he had played to save his own breaking heart, but instead, snapped it shut when he felt the hot tears forming. This was no prank and this was no joke. Richie Tozier was getting his heart broken again and Eddie was being especially cruel, taking the time to crush and stomp on each broken piece one by one.

Suddenly, Eddie’s eyes widened as he took in Richie’s stricken expression. “FuckRichiewait,” he blurted, spitting the words out so fast that it sounded like one word instead of three. “Shit, holy fuck, I’m so sorry,” Eddie spewed. “I didn’t mean it like _that._ I just meant I want to break up with Jackson first before I start anything with you. Of course I want you to kiss me you moron.”

Richie hesitantly met Eddie’s eye when he heard the springs of the mattress squeak under him as the smaller boy hastily scooted himself closer to Richie again. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me again ever since Christmas Eve,” Eddie continued, holding his hands up to Richie’s face so that the taller boy was forced to look at him.

“Technically,” Richie started as he gently grabbed Eddie’s hands and pulled them down into his lap, “_you_ kissed _me_ first.”

Eddie scowled and pulled his hands away. “I was drunk.”

Richie smiled, his heart mending itself again at Eddie’s words, and ruffled the smaller boy’s hair. “You’re so cute,” he cooed as he scooted back until his back hit the headboard. He reached for Eddie again and tugged him closer so that he was practically draped across Richie’s lap. A flash of lightning lit the room up briefly and his grip tightened, reassuring Eddie that they would be okay from the storm. “You wanna get this date night started? Fuck my cold pizza. Let’s order Chinese.”

Eddie settled himself more comfortably on the taller boy and sighed in content. “Chinese sounds good. Do you want me to put on something on Netflix? I’ve been using Bev’s account for months now and I don’t think she’s noticed yet.”

Richie snorted. “She’s going to kick your ass when she finds out.”

Eddie shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Richie let out another bark of laughter and hummed into Eddie’s hair. “You’re too sexy to die at the hands of a feisty redhead, Eds.”

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie instinctively responded.

“Sorry Spaghetti man.”

“Richie,” Eddie warned.

“Okay Eddie-bear.”

“Richie!” Eddie squealed through his laughter. “Shut the fuck up and order our food. I’m hungry.”

“Aye aye captain,” Richie said, throwing a hand up to his forehead in mock salute before gently sliding out from behind Eddie and getting up from the bed. He crossed the room to where he had left his jacket in a heap on the chair and picked it up, rummaging around his messy pocket till his hand gripped a familiar form. “Any requests?” He called out distractedly as he googled the number to the closest Chinese restaurant.

“Yes,” Eddie sat as he sat up. “Fried rice with orange chicken, but make sure there’s no carrots or peas in the fried rice because I’m 82.5% sure I’m allergic. Also, gluten free soy sauce— that’s important. Oh, wait. Before you order the orange chicken, ask them what exactly they use to make it, because I’ve had a shitty experience with orange chicken once and I’m never making that mistake again. I ran out of sparkling water too so if they have that, I would like that. Please,” he tagged on at the end.

Richie stared at him and couldn’t help the sudden swell of adoration and fondness he felt for that boy. He loved Eddie so much he thought he would burst. He loved him even with all of his weird quirks and high demands and Richie couldn’t _wait_ until Eddie broke up with Jackson so he could officially call the smaller boy his boyfriend. Even thinking of the word sent shivers down his spine.

“What?” Eddie asked self-consciously when Richie continued to just stare at him with no response. He crossed his arms defensively over his chest and scowled. “If you aren’t going to remember all that, give me the phone so I can order for myself.”

Richie shook his head and threw a smile at the smaller boy. “It’s nothing Eds. Just thinking,” he responded.

Eddie eyed him critically. “Well… okay. Just don’t fuck up my order or I’ll make you get me a new one... Oh and can you add 3 egg rolls to my order too, but make sure the place you’re calling doesn’t add cilantro in it because the last place I went to did and I was like, what the fuck, because who adds cilantro in a fucking egg roll? So make sure this place doesn’t or I’ll be pissed. And also tell them that I…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason I had such a hard time coming up with a good way to end this chapter?? I was originally gonna have them be cute and fluffy and cuddle and then end the chapter there but I just... couldnt write it for some reason so I have eddie being a blabbering, high maintenance MESS instead.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long. I really have no excuse other than I was just being very lazy. Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy <3
> 
> TW //  
There is a scene of domestic abuse in this chapter, so please be warned.

Richie whistled a joyful tune to himself, hands shoved in his pockets and a skip in his step, as he walked down the crowded sidewalk. He felt like he was on cloud nine. All Richie could think about was the previous night with Eddie. After they had had the Big Talk, they had gorged on Chinese — Eddie’s order being exactly the way he wanted — and cuddled on the bed as they binge watched an entire season of the Great British Baking Show.

As much as he had wanted to spend the night with Eddie again, Richie, in a surprising show of self-restraint, decided to go back to his own dorm. It had all worked out for the best however, because Bill had just gotten back to campus and Richie had spent practically the entire night gushing to an amused, yet exasperated Bill, about what had gone down between him and Eddie.

_“That’s g-guh-great, Rich,” _Bill had said tiredly as he changed into his pajamas. _“So E-Eddie’s gonna br-br-break up w-with Jackson?”_

_“Right you are buckaroo!”_ Richie had responded cheerfully, leaping onto his bed and laying back, his hands crossed behind his head. _“He said he’s going to talk to him tomorrow.”_

Well, tomorrow was today and Richie couldn’t _wait _for Eddie to talk to Jackson.

With another excited skip in his step, Richie pulled open the door and walked in to the little shop. The sudden warmth enveloped him and he felt himself relax as he stepped further inside, leaving the freezing weather behind. It was still raining, but the harsh storm from the previous night had died down to a gentle, but constant drizzle of light rain. That mixed in with the frosty air and crisp wind made it seem colder than it really was.

“Welcome in,” a sales associate with bright blue hair said as she started to approach Richie. “Was there anything I could help you find?”

“Actually, yeah,” Richie said, no doubt surprising the worker who had been expecting to hear the standard response of _just looking, thanks. _“Do you guys sell fanny packs here?”

The girl blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard. “Oh. Yes, we do, but we don’t have a very big selection.”

“That’s alright,” Richie shrugged, grinning widely at the bewildered worker. “A selection is all I need.”

He followed the employee as she led him to the back of the store and Richie glanced around at the various knick-knacks and oddities lining the shelves and walls as he passed. He had found this quaint little shop on google the night before as he had tried in vain to find a store nearby that would carry fanny packs. He couldn’t find or think of any other place that would carry such an out-dated and out of fashion item, so he had blindly dragged himself over here hoping for the best.

“Here they are,” the sales associate, _Delilah,_ her name-tag read, said as she pointed to the row of fanny packs hanging towards the bottom of the wall, partially hidden under a large shelf. “Let me know if I can help you with anything else.”

Richie thanked her and crouched down to get a better look at the fanny packs. Delilah was right. Their selection was abysmal, but it was better than nothing. There were only three to choose from and if Richie was being honest, he kind of hated them all, but he was here for Eddie— not himself. He pulled his phone out and opened up Stan’s text thread.

(12:27pm) **Trashmouth: operation buy eddie the best christmas gift ever is a GO**

(12:27pm) _stanusanus: Isn’t it a little late for a Christmas gift?_

(12:27pm) **Trashmouth: NEVER**

After seeing Jackson’s ridiculous Christmas gift to Eddie, Richie knew he wanted to one up him. He wanted to show Eddie that the smaller boy didn’t have to change anything about himself, that Richie liked him for all his little quirks and odd fashion choices. He honestly couldn’t understand how anyone could dislike Eddie’s fanny packs. They were a part of him and frankly, Richie found them _adorable._

He looked between the three choices, trying to decide which would be the best to gift to Eddie. The first one made him smile to himself. It was neon pink with cartoon unicorns in various different yoga poses on it and Richie knew Eddie would _kill_ him if he bought such an ugly, garish thing for him. Maybe one day he would as a funny joke, but today was not that day. He wanted his gift to Eddie to be sincere. Still, he snapped a quick picture and sent it off to Stan.

The second fanny pack was probably the best out of the three. It was a solid maroon color and Richie had picked it up, deciding that it was the lesser of three evils, and was just about to head to the checkout line when he had turned it over to see that the black straps had _I LOVE TACOS_ written on them repeatedly. He sighed and hung it back up on the peg.

The third one Richie ruled out immediately. It was black and had a caricature of a busty, blonde woman in a much too short and tight pink dress bent over to pick up her matching pink purse with the word _oops_ in a cartoon bubble over her head. He hated that one the most because one, _what the fuck, _and two, _why????_

Richie let out a little groan in frustration and straightened up from his crouched position until he was back to his full height. He ran a hand through his hair and let his arm flop back down by his side in defeat. Why was it so hard to find a _normal_ fanny pack? He pulled his phone out, intending on yelping another place close by that might possibly carry fanny packs, only to see that he had a new message from Stan.

(12:33pm) _stanusanus: Please don’t tell me that’s the one you bought for Eddie._

(12:37pm) **Trashmouth: of course not**

(12:37pm) **Trashmouth: thats the one i bought 4 myself :D**

(12:37pm) _stanusanus: Fitting._

Richie snorted and typed up a response as he headed back towards the front of the store, accepting his losses. He would just have to, somehow, find a fanny pack someplace else or get Eddie an entirely different late Christmas gift.

Just as Richie reached the exit, Delilah stopped him with a hurried “_wait!”_

With a hand still resting on the push bar of the door, he turned around to see Delilah walking over to him with a black fanny pack in her hand.

“I found this in the back room. Someone returned it the other day and we didn’t have a chance to put it back out on the floor. Here,” she said as she passed the bag over to Richie. “I figured you might like this one better than the other shitty ones we have,” she said with a small laugh.

Richie looked at the new fanny pack in his hands. It was dark navy blue, almost black, and had one small embroidered word in red in the bottom right corner. _Lover._ He glanced back up at Delilah and shot her a genuine smile. “It’s perfect,” he breathed.

Delilah smiled. “I knew we had it back there somewhere. I’m just glad I managed to find it before you left,” she said.

“Thank you,” Richie said sincerely. “I was seriously debating whether or not I should bleach my eyes out after seeing the one of the half naked blonde lady.”

The blue haired girl nodded in amusement. “My girlfriend hates that one too. I bought it for her as a gag gift on Valentine’s day and she nearly choked me— and not in the kinky, sexy way either.”

Richie let out a surprised bark of laughter. “I was thinking of getting the neon pink unicorn one for my boyfr— uh, for my friend, but I think he would actually stomp on me.”

“Boyfriend?” Delilah asked curiously. “No judgement from me dude.”

Richie scratched the back of his neck. “Ehhh, I’m working on it,” he said with a small shrug.

Delilah laughed as the shrill sound of a phone ringing pierced the air. “Well, I hope it all works out,” she said earnestly, taking a few steps backward and jerking her thumb over her shoulder apologetically. “I gotta answer that, but let me know if you want help with anything else!” She met Richie’s smile and hurried back to the counter.

Richie glanced back down at the fanny pack in his hand. He knew this was the one, but he still wanted a second opinion. Pulling his phone back out, he opened the camera app and snapped pictures of the fanny pack from various angles before sending it off to Stan. The other boy responded right away.

(12:41pm) _stanusanus: Wow Richie, not bad._

(12:41pm)** Trashmouth: :D**

Satisfied that it had received Stan’s approval, Richie headed toward the counter where Delilah was still talking on the phone with someone. She raised a finger up at Richie, signaling him to wait, before finishing up her conversation and turning to him with a smile.

“Ready to check out?”

———————

The shopping bag swung by Richie’s side as he squeezed past two girls giggling and gossiping to each other, not looking where they were going. The black haired girl almost ran into him, not even bothering to say _excuse me,_ but Richie refused to let her dampen his mood. He turned the corner onto a slightly less crowded street and let out a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. Now that the holidays were over, the sidewalks were lined with shoppers trying to get the best after Christmas sales and Richie was more than ready to leave the horde behind and get back to his own dorm.

He started to whistle again, feeling extremely pleased with himself for managing to find not only a fanny pack, but a fanny pack Eddie would actually like. Richie was sure Eddie wouldn’t be expecting such a gift from him, especially with Christmas being over, and the bespectacled boy was looking forward to seeing Eddie’s reaction. All there was left for him to do now was to wrap the fanny pack. With that thought in mind, Richie switched the shopping bag over to his left hand so he could pull his phone out of his jacket pocket with his right.

(12:54pm) **Trashmouth: BIG BILL**

(12:54pm)** Trashmouth: MY MAN**

(12:54pm) **Trashmouth: MY BEST FRIEND 5EVA**

(12:54pm)** billiam: what do you want**

(12:54pm)** Trashmouth: wat makes u think i want something :O**

(12:55pm) **billiam: bc I know you**

(12:55pm)** Trashmouth: ya okay**

(12:56pm)** Trashmouth: will u help me wrap eddies christmas present :D**

(12:57pm) **billiam: oh is that it?**

(12:57pm)** billiam: I was expecting something much worse**

(12:57pm) **billiam: yeah of course since you and I both know you can’t rap for shit**

(12:58pm)** billiam: wrap***

(12:59pm) **Trashmouth: ill have u kno that my rapping skillz are AMAZING**

(12:59pm) **Trashmouth: to be born to be chicken too clever to be chicken to be born to be chicken too clever to be chicken**

(1:00pm) **billiam: ….. I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean**

(1:00pm) **Trashmouth: whisper it quickly to urself ;)**

(1:02pm)** billiam: I—**

(1:02pm) **billiam: bye Richie**

(1:01pm)** Trashmouth: c u soon billius i expect u to participate in a rap battle w me when i get home <3**

———————

Eddie paced the length of his dorm room as he nervously bit his bottom lip and glanced at the door every ten seconds. He had texted Jackson about an hour ago asking if the other boy could meet Eddie at his dorm to talk. Jackson had responded with a simple _sure._

Suddenly, a loud knock sounded and Eddie startled, staring at his door with wide eyes before shaking himself out of it and scurrying over to let Jackson, he was sure, in.

“Hi,” Eddie said anxiously, opening the door a little wider so the taller boy could step inside. “How are you?”

“Fantastic.”

Eddie stared at the back of Jackson’s head and swallowed nervously when the blond didn’t say anything more. “Thanks for meeting me,” he said timidly.

“Of course. You said you wanted to talk?” Jackson sat down on the edge of Eddie’s bed and stared up at him expectantly.

“Yeah,” Eddie shook his head in a bit to reassure himself and played with his fingers as he started to pace the room again. “Listen, I— um, I think that we— maybe we should—” He let out a small groan in frustration when he couldn’t seem to spit the words out. “Jackson, I think that we should—”

“Break up?” Jackson cut in as he stared at Eddie in amusement, eyes twinkling. “I figured.”

Eddie stopped pacing and turned to look at him in surprise. “What?” He was not expecting Jackson to know what he had wanted to talk to him about.

Jackson shrugged. “I could just sense it, you know? I guess I was just hoping we could work through it… Can I at least ask why?”

“Why what?” Eddie asked in confusion, nose crinkling.

“Why you’re breaking up with me,” Jackson clarified, sounding a little sad and forlorn.

Eddie blinked. _Because I never loved you. Because I love Richie. Because you were just a distraction. _“Oh. Um, well, it’s like you said…” he trailed off and scratched the back of his head. “We were just… growing apart.”

Jackson stared at the floor and nodded in understanding. “I guess we were.”

Despite all the shit Jackson had put him through, Eddie couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the blond. He looked so sad and distraught, like a kicked puppy, and Eddie suddenly had the bizarre urge to comfort him. He let out a small sigh and smiled sadly. “I’m sorry Jackson.”

It was silent for a long moment before Jackson said in a low voice,

“Not yet, but you will be.”

Eddie blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly.

“What?”

Jackson let out a low chuckle. His face contorted, the previous sullen expression replaced by something much more sinister and foreboding as he looked Eddie dead in the eye. Instinctively, the smaller boy took a step back and reached his hand in his pocket for an inhaler that wasn’t there. _The desk,_ his mind unhelpfully supplied.

“Eddie,” Jackson tutted. “You never learn, do you?”

Eddie continued to stare at the blond in confusion. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb, Eddie-bear,” Jackson cooed nastily. “Tell me the real reason why you’re breaking up with me. Tell me that you spent the day with Richie Tozier yesterday. That you kissed him on Christmas Eve.”

“_How did you—”_

In one swift motion, Jackson stood up from the bed and shoved Eddie into the desk behind him. It hit the wall with a thunk as pencils and pens fell to the floor with a clatter and rolled in every direction. Eddie let out a yelp and staggered backwards.

Taking a step forward, Jackson fisted his hands in the smaller boy’s shirt and yanked Eddie back closer to him. “_I fucking told you, Eddie, not to lie to me. _You must not have learned your lesson, so this time I’m going to make_ sure_ you do.” With his hands still gripping Eddie’s shirt, he whipped him around and threw him to the floor by the bed. Eddie hit the side of the frame as he threw his hands out in an attempt to catch himself.

“Jackson wh—”

“_SHUT UP,”_ Jackson roared, bringing a hand down on Eddie’s head.

Eddie brought his hands up in attempt to shield himself, but that only seemed to enrage the taller boy further. Grabbing on to Eddie’s arms, Jackson wrenched them down before delivering a swift and hard smack to the side of the brunette’s face. Eddie let out a cry of pain.

“Did you and Richie have fun together last night? Hm?” Jackson asked menacingly, taking a step closer each time Eddie frantically scooted back. “Did he fuck you good and hard like the little slut you are?”

Shaking his head desperately, Eddie looked up at Jackson with wide, wet eyes, tears threatening to spill over. “N-No! We didn’t—”

“You didn’t _what?_” Jackson mocked nastily. “You didn’t see Richie? Don’t fucking lie to me, Eddie, I _saw you. I followed you. _Did you really think I would be so stupid as to leave you by yourself? All day yesterday you fed me bullshit, lying to me about your mom calling, about Stan calling. Do you take me for a _fool?”_ Jackson emphasized his point with a harsh kick to Eddie’s side that had the breath knocked out of him. The smaller boy kneeled over in pain and let out a small cry, the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back now falling freely down his face.

“Look at you,” the blond said with a disgusted look on his face. His eyes glinted dangerously as he stared down at Eddie in contempt. “Crying like a fucking baby,” he continued. “Do you think those tears will make me feel sorry for you?”

Eddie was gasping, chest heaving as he tried to calm himself down. He felt like he was drowning. It was hard for him to catch his breath and he wanted, he _needed_, his inhaler. Though his tears were blurring his vision, he looked up at Jackson and shook his head. “I-I-I’m s-s-s-sorry,” he sobbed. There was a dull throb in his head and a sharp pain in his side and Eddie felt like if Jackson didn’t let up soon, he would die right there on the spot. “J-J-Jackson pl-pl-please s-stop,” he pleaded.

The begging only seemed to infuriate Jackson further. With one hand, he grabbed a fistful of Eddie’s hair and yanked him upwards, causing the brunette to let out a breathless gasp of pain. The smaller boy brought his hands up to Jackson’s, trying futilely to get the blond to loosen his grip. “Stop?” Jackson asked with a humorless laugh. “Not until you learn your lesson, you fucking _whore,” _he spat out, eyes glinting dangerously like a predator stalking their prey before they pounced. If Jackson was the snake, Eddie was the mouse— small and weak. He was no match for Jackson.

“P-plea—”

“_ENOUGH,”_ Jackson yelled. He grabbed the unlit candle that had been sitting on Eddie’s nightstand and threw it violently at the smaller boy, aiming it so that it hit the brunette square in the face.

Blood started to gush out of Eddie’s nose. He brought a shaky hand up to his face and winced at the sudden onslaught of pain. Jackson was starting to scare him for real now. The taller boy had never gotten _this_ violent with him before and Eddie was terrified. The thought of what Jackson might do to him next was enough to send Eddie over the edge and he searched blindly for his inhaler, chest heaving. It was getting damn near impossible for him to breathe.

“C-can’t br-breathe. Inha-ha-haler. Pl—”

Jackson grabbed the inhaler that had fallen off Eddie’s desk earlier and waved it teasingly, a smirk making its way onto his face. “Your in-in-inhaler?” He jeered with a mock expression of concern before it quickly changed to one of loathing. Jackson threw the inhaler across the room. It hit the wall with a loud thunk and fell to the floor, well out of Eddie’s reach. “I know all about your bullshit asthma,_ Eddie-bear. _I know you don’t really fucking need that. What else have you been lying about, huh?”

Eddie couldn’t answer. He was hunched over on the floor, his hands bracing himself as he tried desperately to just fucking _breathe. _Eyes squeezed shut, Eddie didn’t see Jackson approach him again and the smaller boy startled violently when he felt another sharp kick to his ribs.

“_Enough_ with that bullshit. Get up, _GET UP!”_

But Eddie couldn’t. He started to wheeze and clawed desperately at his throat. He hurt _everywhere. _His head, his ribs, his nose, his _throat. _Eddie knew that he wasn’t _really_ having an asthma attack, but years of believing his mom and all her bullshit lies had messed with his brain. His chest felt tight and Eddie could just _feel _his throat closing up. _Jesus fucking Christ, _Eddie thought blearily to himself. _I’m gonna die from my fake asthma._

Having had enough, Jackson grabbed Eddie’s arm from where he had it wrapped around his stomach and clutching his side, and pulled_. Hard._ The sickening sound of Eddie’s shoulder dislocating pierced the air.

A scream of pain.   
A yell.

_“Get the fuck up!”_

Another fist to the face.  
Another pleading sob.

_“Please,”_

A door opening.  
Another shout, another voice.

“Eddie?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent 2 1/2 hours working on the ending of this chapter and I'm still not pleased with it. I wanted to get something written and posted though since it's been so long :P 
> 
> Anyways, we're nearing the end folks! I don't have it completely planned out yet, but I wanna say there's maybe 3? 4? chapters remaining? We'll see :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wtf im so sorry this took me almost 2 weeks to post... i got distracted with starting other au's (i DID complete one though!! and it's posted if anyone wants to read :D) and i just worked on those instead of this and I AM SORRY... YOU WOULD THINK THIS CHAPTER WOULD BE SHAKESPEARE WORTHY WITH HOW LONG IT TOOK ME RIGHT?? it's not. I struggled so much with this chapter for some reason and basically this is the best i could do unless you guys wanted to wait another 2 weeks for me to perfect it so i hope some of you will maybe like it anyways.... also, i know some people were expecting stan to be the one that walked in and trust me, i tried writing it that way, but i just... couldn't.  
enjoy :(

Richie couldn’t entirely believe what he was seeing. There was no way that Eddie, feisty little potty mouth Eddie, _his_ Eddie, was currently lying in a ball on the floor, one arm bent at strange angle as Jackson towered over him.

Richie watched frozen in horror as the blond raised a hand up in a move to land another hit to the smaller boy. Eddie flinched, bracing himself for the inevitable blow, and Richie’s brain suddenly kicked into action at the movement. “Eddie?!”

Jackson turned at his voice in surprise, not realizing someone had entered the room. Dropping the nicely wrapped bag he was holding, Richie stormed further inside and shoved Jackson as hard as he could. “What the fuck are you doing asshole?!”

The blond staggered backward, clearly caught off guard. “Mind your business, Tozier,” Jackson hissed, his eyes glinting dangerously as he rubbed at his side from where it had hit the corner of Eddie’s bed frame. “Eddie doesn’t need you.”

Richie stared up at Jackson from his spot on the floor, arms cradled around Eddie protectively, and spat, “Eddie _is _my business.” He straightened back up to his full height when the blond made a move to step closer to them. “Stay the fuck back you piece of shit,” he warned, face contorted in anger and eyes blazing.

Jackson scoffed and took a step forward, ignoring Richie’s warning. He tilted his head to the side and smirked. “What are you gonna do, huh?” He emphasized his point by pushing Richie’s shoulders, causing the curly haired boy to unwillingly take a step backwards.

“Get the fuck out before I call the cops,” Richie snarled, his fists clenched by his side.

The blond let out a humorless laugh. “He must be a pretty good cocksucker for you to be defending this slut,” Jackson leered, turning his attention to Eddie. He took a menacing step forward, the old floorboards creaking under his weight, and stared down at Eddie in contempt. “You can have him, Tozier,” Jackson said flippantly as he kept his gaze on the smaller boy in front of him. “Never liked broken toys anyways.” He used the toe of his sneaker to nudge at Eddie’s broken arm causing the smaller boy’s face to warp, a small whimper of pain escaping his lips. Jackson scoffed and turned to face Richie, “Have fun wi—”

Richie punched him in the face. _Hard. “Holy shit,” _he breathed immediately afterwards, wincing and shaking his hand. Despite his loud mouth getting him into trouble more times than he could count, Richie had never _actually_ gotten into a physical fight before. He had no idea what the hell he was doing and now his hand hurt like a _bitch._

“Richie!” Eddie cried from his spot on the floor.

“Fuck!” Jackson lurched backwards and clutched his nose.

“Say that again,” Richie threatened, voice low. “I fucking dare you.”

Jackson swiped a hand under his nose, causing the blood to smear across his cheek, and glared at Richie venomously. “Or what?” He asked mockingly, even as he took a step backwards towards the door. “He’s not worth it Tozier!” Jackson crowed. “He’ll just do to you what he did to me.”

Richie held his phone out, the screen showing the digits 911 already inputed. “I’m fucking serious you asshole. _Get the fuck out.” _His thumb hovered over the call button.

Jackson placed a hand on the knob, looking back at Richie and Eddie, before yanking open the door and accidentally surprising a small boy who had been passing by. He shook his head in disgust, a dry laugh leaving his lips. “I hope you two will be _very_ happy together,” Jackson spat mockingly. He threw the two boys one more withering glare before slamming the door shut behind him, the wall shaking from the force of it.

As soon as the door shut, Richie was back on his knees, crouched down next to Eddie and one hand gently cupping his cheek. “Are you okay?” He asked anxiously, eyes wide and worried as he scanned Eddie’s face.

Eddie shook his head and grit his teeth. He had been trying so hard to ignore his aching body, but now that Jackson was gone, the pain was all that he could focus on. He used his good hand to wipe the tears that were drying on his face.

“Fuck, Eds” Richie breathed, eyes frantically sweeping over the smaller boy’s body to survey the damage. “Your shoulder’s dislocated.” He stared at Eddie’s arm, brows furrowed together in concentration, before declaring, “I can fix it.”

“NO,” Eddie immediately said, shaking his head even harder than before despite the throbbing in his head. “Don’t fucking touch me Richie,” Eddie warned, eyes widening in panic.

The taller boy ignored him and reached for Eddie’s limp arm.

“Richie, I swear to _fucking god…”_

“Ready?” Richie asked, eyebrows set in a determined line.

“DO. NOT. FUCKING. TOU—”

———————

“—ch me. I fucking _told _him not to touch me,” Eddie said angrily to a solemn looking Stan who was standing at the foot of his hospital bed. “The doctors had to dislocate it again just to set it right.”

“Richie was only trying to help,” Stan responded, looking out the window with a blank expression on his face.

“Yeah well he shouldn’t have,” Eddie snapped. He closed his eyes and sighed when Stan turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. “Sorry,” he said in a much softer tone.

Stan gave him a tight lipped smile, mouth set in a thin line. “I don’t think I’m the one you should be saying sorry to.”

The room dissolved into silence then, the only sound being the steady _beep beep beep _of Eddie’s heart monitor.

“How long?” Stan asked eventually, breaking the tense atmosphere. He sat himself down in one of the ugly, green armchairs next to Eddie’s bed and leaned forward, head down, and elbows placed on the arm rests on either side of him.

Eddie blinked at him in confusion. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb, Eddie,” Stan said with a frustrated sigh, lifting his head up to look Eddie dead in the eyes. “How long has that _asshole_ been doing this to you?”

The smaller boy averted his gaze and played with a loose thread on the thin hospital blanket that was draped over him.

“Eddie, _how long?_”

“A while,” Eddie eventually mumbled. “But it’s no big deal,” he quickly added. “He only did it when he got mad and it was mostly my fault anyways…”

Stan gaped at him. “Are you hearing yourself right now?” He stood up from the chair and started to pace the room. “I should’ve known something was wrong,” Stan said in a low voice, almost to himself. “I fucking knew it. I _knew_ it, but I didn’t do anything.” He shook his head and stopped, turning to face Eddie. “Bev is pissed. She’s on her way back right now.”

“I— _why?_ I’m fine,” Eddie sighed. “She should enjoy her time with Ben.”

“Ben’s coming too,” Stan said in a tight voice. “And no, you’re not fine.”

“It’s just a few cuts and bruises. I’m _fine,_” Eddie stressed, not meeting Stan’s eyes.

Stan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Eddie. You had 2 fractured ribs, a concussion, bruises covering nearly your entire body, and a _dislocated shoulder. He fucking dislocated your shoulder, Eddie.”_

Eddie remained silent.

“How could you be with someone like that?”

The smaller boy shrugged half-heartedly. “He wasn’t always that bad,” Eddie admitted in a quiet voice. “Only when I did something that upset him. It’s my fault.”

Stan bit back his retort and breathed in and out to calm himself. “Okay,” he said, sitting back down in his seat. He leaned forward and steepled his hands under his chin. “That’s wrong, but okay. We’ll get to that in a second.” He let out a deep sigh and stared at Eddie. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we promised no more secrets after what happened with Dustin.”

“Tell you what?” Eddie asked, feigning confusion and still refusing to meet Stan’s gaze.

Stan let out another frustrated sigh and dragged a hand down his face in agitation. “Can you please not do this right now? Please? I know I don’t always show it, but… you’re my best friend, Eddie. I care about you a lot and I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“I’m sorry,” Eddie responded in a small voice.

“Don’t be,” Stan said sincerely. “It’s _not_ your fault.” He stressed the words hoping that Eddie would understand. “Jackson—”

Just then, the door slammed open and both boys jumped in surprise at the loud noise.

“Where the fuck is he?” Beverly bellowed, storming into the room in all of her 5’4 glory. “I’m going to kick his ass _so_ hard I—” She stopped suddenly, her gaze falling on Eddie laying pitifully in the hospital bed, and her expression softened as she hurried over to his side. She sat on the edge of his bed, careful not to jostle his arm. “Aw baby,” the redhead cooed, voice small and a little sad as she ran a gentle hand through Eddie’s hair.

“Hi Bev,” Eddie said, grinning slightly up at her in hopes of appeasing her worried frown. “Where’s Ben?”

“The gift shop. He said he wanted to get something for you,” she muttered distractedly as her eyes swept over his body, categorizing his injuries. “What the hell did he do to you?” She glanced up in question at Stan and met his solemn expression. Beverly’s eyes hardened. She turned her gaze back down to the smaller boy next to her. “I’m going to rip his tiny dick off— I swear I will.”

Eddie shook his head. “It’s okay.”

The redhead’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Stan sighed.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Beverly asked, repeating the same question Stan had asked before. She continued to run her fingers through Eddie’s curls.

“I don’t fucking know!” Eddie exclaimed in frustration. He moved his head away from under her hand and ignored her hurt expression. The room stayed quiet, both Beverly and Stan waiting for Eddie to continue, before finally he admitted in a small voice, “I just didn’t want to worry you guys, okay? After everything that happened with Dustin, I thought I had moved on. And I told myself I wasn’t going to let myself be treated like that anymore, but then Jackson happened and I just…”

“Clung on to what was familiar,” Stan finished in a grim voice.

Eddie grimaced. “I made such a big show about how great and awesome Jackson was and you guys seemed so excited that I had met someone new and was finally starting to show interest in dating again… But honestly, I only stayed with Jackson for as long as I did because I wanted him to distract me from Richie. I didn’t know he was going to be like a carbon copy of Dustin.”

“Neither did we,” Stan mumbled in a dark voice.

“Wait, where is Richie anyway?” Beverly asked, looking around the tiny room as if the other boy had been hiding this whole time. “I’m surprised he’s not glued to your side right now.”

Eddie shrugged. He had been wondering the same thing himself. “He left as soon as Stan got here and said he was going to be right back.”

Beverly frowned. “Where did he go?”

“Why don’t you text him?” Stan asked as he leaned back, meeting Beverly’s eye with a meaningful look that Eddie missed.

The redhead threw Stan a look of confusion but pulled out her phone anyway. “I’m gonna call him,” she announced, cupping Eddie’s cheek briefly before standing up from where she was perched on his bed.

Just as she reached the door, a soft knock sounded and she pulled it open to see Ben, Bill, and Mike standing on the other side of the doorway. “Hey guys,” she greeted quickly before slipping past them and out into the hallway, turning briefly to yell back into the room, “I’ll be right back!” before disappearing out of Eddie’s view.

“Wh-where’s she guh-going?” Bill asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder and stepping further into the room. “Hey E-Eddie. You look like sh-shit.”

“Thanks Bill,” Eddie responded sarcastically. “What are you guys doing here?” He asked in confusion, not bothering to say a proper hello. He directed his attention to Mike. “I thought you weren’t going to be back until after New Years.”

“Hey Eddie,” Mike said with an easy smile. “Heard what happened and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I— That’s really okay,” Eddie mumbled, a faint blush starting to decorate his cheeks. He felt like he was a painting at a museum out on display for everyone to see and gawk at. “You guys didn’t all have to come and cut your break short. I’m _fine,” _he insisted.

Stan rolled his eyes and dropped his elbows from the arm rests of his chair as Bill made his way over to him. “You’re not,” Stan said sharply. “Stop saying that.”

“W-w-we wanted to c-come,” Bill responded kindly, rubbing little circles into Stan’s back. The other boy visibly softened. “And I w-was already on c-c-campus anyway.”

“Here,” Ben said then, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning on and crossing the room to Eddie. “This was the best thing they had.” He looked embarrassed as he handed the little pink stuffed bear to Eddie who reached for it gratefully.

Eddie smiled at the doll in his hands. “It’s great, Ben,” he said sincerely, turning it over before glancing back up at the other boy. “Thank you.”

Ben shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “You’re welcome.”

“How are you feeling Eddie?” Mike asked as he sat in the chair next to Stan.

“Fi—”

“He has 2 fractured ribs, a concussion, bruises everywhere, and a dislocated shoulder,” Stan interrupted. He threw Eddie a sharp look that had the smaller boy scowling.

Both Mike and Ben’s eyes widened in surprise, the room dissolving into silence as they racked their brains for something to say that wouldn’t annoy the smaller boy further.

“So,” Bill piped up suddenly, breaking the quiet and causing all of the boys in the room to look at him. “When are w-w-we g-guh-going to kick J-Jackson’s ass?”

———————

** _Incoming call from BIG RED_ **

_“Yeah?”_

_“Where are you? Why did Stan want me to talk to you?”_

_“Jackson’s apartment. Hey, do you know what kind of car he drives?”_

_“A grey jeep. Why? What are you planning?”_

_“I’ll text you my location.”_

_“Shit… I’ll be there.”_

_“Knew I could count on you Marsh.”_

** _Call ended_ **

_———————_

(4:19pm) _stanusanus: Have you spoken to Bev yet?_

(4:22pm) **Trashmouth: yup**

(4:22pm) **Trashmouth: we’ll kick his ass dont worry**

(4:22pm) _stanusanus: Counting on it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> richie and bev are going to exact revenge on jackson and stan is the mastermind behind it all
> 
> also, not that anybody asked, but here's the summary for the au i wrote that i mentioned bc i love that story and it's my lil baby:  
Foreign exchange student Richie goes to France for a month in the summer and stays with the Kaspbrak's. During his time there, he meets Eddie, and Richie is determined to become friends (or maybe even something more) with the small brunette. It's just too bad that Eddie doesn't understand English...


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took me nearly a month to update this. I’ve been going through some personal things and writing was the absolute last thing on my mind. I think this chapter reflects that because it’s not my finest work and it's incredibly rushed in my opinion, but I hope you will enjoy nonetheless.
> 
> The only thing left now is the epilogue! I have a rough draft of it planned out and I am feeling marginally better so hopefully I will have that up sooner rather than later.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading.

“Is your arm still bothering you?” Stan asked as he carefully carried two cups of hot chocolate over to where Eddie was sitting.

It was two days after The Incident and Eddie had officially been discharged. He was hanging out with Stan in his dorm room, the blond boy not quite ready to let Eddie stay alone in his in case Jackson decided to come back and finish what he had started. Eddie had rolled his eyes at Stan, but deep down he was touched that even after all these years, he had a friend that truly cared for him.

Eddie shifted and reached his good hand out to grab the mug, smiling gratefully at Stan. “No, I just hate that he fucked up my writing arm. Couldn’t he have done this shit to my other side instead? I have papers due you know.”

Stan’s lips set into a thin line of disapproval, but didn’t comment on Eddie’s ‘inappropriate’ joke. Sometimes, it seemed like Stan was more upset with Jackson than Eddie was. It was understandable though. The blond boy was frustrated that he had been unable to help Eddie for a second time.

Just then, a multitude of loud knocks sounded on the door startling both Stan and Eddie. “THE DEED IS DONE STANLEY,” an unmistakeable voice yelled through the crack. “LET ME IN SO I CAN SHOW YOU THE PICTURES.”

Eddie looked to Stan in confusion, but Stan resolutely ignored his gaze, his face contorted into a grimace as he walked past Eddie to open his door. “Wai—“

“Stan,” Richie cut in, eyes bright and wild. “You are a _genius._ Look,” he said, all but shoving his phone into Stan’s startled face as he swiped through his most recent photos. “Bev did that one. She’s a fucking queen.”

“Richie just sh—”

“What did Bev do?” Eddie asked curiously, cutting Stan off. He placed his mug down gently next to him before awkwardly pushing himself off the floor cushion with one hand and making his way to his friends still crowded by the door. “Can I see?”

Stan’s mouth set into a straight line as he looked at Eddie and back to Richie again. “Eddie’s back from the hospital, as you can see,” he deadpanned.

“Oh,” Richie said stupidly, blinking at Eddie from behind his glasses. He dropped the arm holding his phone back to his side and grinned at the smaller boy in front of him. “Hiya toots,” he said with a wink.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Don’t ever call me that again,” he grumbled as he took a step forward in a move to grab Richie’s phone. The bespectacled boy pulled his hand back. “What are you hiding?” Eddie asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion when he noticed Richie and Stan share a quick look between them.

“Nothing,” Richie said at the same time Stan sighed, “Just show him.”

Eddie looked between them, brows furrowed. “Show me what?"

Neither boy responded. Instead, Richie unlocked his phone and handed it to Eddie who took it in confusion. On the screen was a picture of a grey jeep that looked like it belonged in the junkyard more than it did on the streets. It was keyed badly, more than half the windows were broken, the tires were flat, and the words “I HAVE A MICROPENIS” were spray painted in large, red letters on one side.

“Okaaay,” Eddie said, swiping through the pictures, each one showing a different angle of the car. “Why are you showing me this?”

“It’s Jackson’s.”

“It’s Ja—” Eddie’s eyes darted back down to the small screen, taking in the details of the photos more clearly before whipping his head back up to look almost hysterically at the two taller boys standing in front of him. _“It’s Jackson’s?! _I—_ Why?”_

Stan crossed his arms and pinned Eddie with a look that said a_re you stupid?_ Which_ yeah, _he kind of was for asking why they would have destroyed his abusive ex-boyfriend’s precious car.

Just as Stan opened his mouth to say, no doubt, something snarky, Richie asked in disbelief, “What do you mean _why?_ This is nothing compared to all the other shit we originally came up with!” He pointed a finger at Stan accusingly. “He wanted us to break into his apartment and start an “accidental fire,” he put air quotes around the words. “I don’t know what the fuck got into Stan the Man here, but no way am I going to jail for breaking and entering and _arson. _I love you Eddie, but I would love you a lot better if I weren’t locked up in a tiny cell.”

Eddie looked to Stan incredulously and pointedly ignored Richie’s use of the L word. That was a whole different hurdle he was not quite ready to face yet. “You wanted them to do _what?”_

Stan rolled his eyes and threw Richie a withering look. “The fire was your idea dumbass. All I said was to maybe break into his apartment and make a mess of things.”

“I don’t think that’s any better Stan,” Eddie deadpanned.

“Better than what he did to you,” he snapped back. “Besides, it’s not like we were going to do anything _that _bad. Just, you know, knock some shit down, break plates, that sort of thing. Not that big a deal. Can we stop standing here?” Stan asked as he pushed Richie out of the doorway so he could shut the door behind him before heading back to his spot on the floor. 

Richie threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. “_Not that big a deal,”_ he mocked, trailing behind the other boy. “Yeah, okay Stanus. Tell that to the judge.”

Stan scowled and fixed Richie with an annoyed look. “I told you to stop calling me that.”

Richie grinned. “You sound just like my lil Eddie Spaghetti when you say that!” He cooed brightly before noticing the mug of hot chocolate Eddie had place on the floor earlier. “Hey! Can I have some?” Richie asked, lifting the mug to his nose and taking a big whiff.

“Get your own dickwad,” Eddie shot back as he pried the mug out of the other boy’s hands. “I don’t want your disgusting saliva mixing with mine.”

A mischievous grin made its way onto Richie’s face. “Hate to break it to ya Eds, but my _disgusting saliva _already mixed with yours.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Eddie and puckered his lips. “Remember Christmas Eve?”

“No.”

“Aww, don’t be like that Eds. That kiss we shared was magical. It was like… the best Christmas gift I could have ever gotten from you.”

“That wasn’t me.”

Richie snorted and brought his hand up to his chin, a look of mock contemplation on his face. “A short, feisty little brunette? Yeah, that was definitely you. I don’t know any other tiny people. Well, except Bev, but she doesn’t count.”

“I am _not _that short asshole!”

“It’s a-okay Eds! Not everybody can be as tall and glorious and beautiful like me.” Richie shook his hair out as he tried to, unsuccessfully, imitate the models in shampoo commercials. Eddie watched him critically through narrowed eyes.

“Glorious? The only thing glorious about you is—”

“My ass?”

“_No,_ asshole.”

“You think my asshole is glorious?”

“No! Oh my fucking god.” Eddie drew an agitated hand down his face and glowered at the other boy who was looking far too amused for his own good. “Fuck you, Richie.”

Richie smiled widely and leaned back, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “No, fuck _you, _Eds.”

Stan, who had been silently watching the two, let out an exasperated sigh. “As interesting as this exchange has been,” he said finally, lips quirking up in amusement, “if you guys are going to flirt, please do it somewhere far away from me. The two of you make me sick.”

———————

“Thanks for helping me clean up, Rich.” Eddie said, finally sitting down on the bed with a big sigh and looking around at his tidy room.

“No biggie,” Richie said, sitting opposite of Eddie in the desk chair he so loved to frequent. “What are you going to do with this piece of crap?” He lazily nudged the gift Jackson had given Eddie.

Eddie glanced over at the black bag and shrugged. “I don’t care. Throw it away? Or you can keep it if you want.”

Richie threw Eddie a look of disbelief. “Do you really think I would wear this ugly shit?”

Eddie snorted. “You wear Hawaiian shirts.”

“And?” Richie asked, affronted. “My Hawaiian shirts are a part of my charm.” He paused for a second as he stared in contempt at the bag on the desk in front of him. “Burn this shit, Eds. Don’t keep anything from that motherfucker.” He grabbed the bag and tossed it into the small trash bin next to him.

“Take it back out, Rich. That’s so fucking gross,” Eddie snapped as he pushed himself off the bed. “I’ll donate it or give it to Stan or something.” He eyed his trash bin with disgust before a sparkly red gift bag on the floor caught his eye. “Hey what’s this?” He asked, bending down slightly to pick the bag up. “Is this yours?”

Inexplicably, Richie suddenly looked extremely nervous as he ran a hand through his hair. “Uhhh, it’s yours,” he said finally, looking at Eddie’s side profile as the shorter boy placed the gift bag on top of his desk and peered into it.

Eddie’s nose wrinkled as he turned to look at Richie. “It is?”

Richie pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose nervously and nodded once. “Yeah, it’s from me. A late Christmas gift.”

Eddie blinked in surprise. “Oh,” he said stupidly, absentmindedly rubbing at his arm. “Richie, you didn’t have to do that. I didn’t get you anything,” he continued quietly, looking awkward. “I thought all of us had agreed we weren’t going to exchange gifts.”

“I wanted to,” Richie responded simply. “And technically you did get me a present.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, that kiss on Christmas Eve. I wasn’t kidding when I said that was the best Christmas gift I could have ever received.”

Eddie groaned. “You’re such an asshole.”

“Maybeeee,” Richie sing-songed looking pleased with himself, “but you _like_ this asshole. C’mon, just open the gift, Eds.”

Hesitantly, Eddie pushed the multiple sheets of crumpled up tissue paper to the side and reached into the bag before pulling out a badly wrapped lump. He shot Richie a look that had the taller boy looking abashed.

“I asked Bill to help me wrap it, but turns out he’s just as bad as I am,” Richie explained. “Hence the gift bag. We had to hide that shit somehow.”

Eddie’s lips quirked up in amusement as he unwrapped the wrapping paper. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw the fanny pack in his hands.

Richie watched fondly with a soft smile as Eddie’s face went through a dance of different emotions.

“Richie…” Eddie began.

“Do you like it?” Richie asked nervously. “I can return it if it’s not your taste, but Jackson got you that shit bag that’s totally not your style and I know how much you love fanny packs so I wanted to get you a new one because _I _love your fanny packs too and I don’t know, dude, I can get you something else if you don’t like it, but just know that—”

“Richie,” Eddie said. “Stand up.”

“I— What?”

“Just stand up.”

Baffled, Richie did as he was told and slowly stood up from his spot in Eddie’s chair. He blinked down at the smaller boy. “Uhhh, what—” Before he even knew what was happening, Eddie shot forward to wrap Richie in an awkward hug, his cast knocking against the taller boy’s side painfully. Immediately, as if on instinct, Richie’s arms wrapped around Eddie.

“Thank you, Richie,” Eddie said quietly against Richie’s chest. “I love it.”

“You’re welcome,” Richie managed to squeak out. The distinct smell of _Eddie _flooded his senses and he scrambled to get his thoughts back in order. “I was hoping you would like it more than that crappy thing Jackson gave you.”

The smaller boy tilted his head back to look up at Richie and smiled brightly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I still can’t believe you destroyed his car.”

Richie gulped nervously at their close proximity and shrugged, looking away. “Can’t take all the credit. Bev’s the one who came up with the micropenis thing. She’s scary.”

Eddie laughed and nodded his head in agreement. “She really is.” He let out another small giggle that quickly died from his lips when he noticed Richie silently staring at him. “What?” Eddie asked self-consciously. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Richie eventually said, shaking his head. “Just thinking about how cute you are Spaghetti.” He smiled fondly down at the other boy.

Eddie scowled at the use of the nickname but didn’t say anything as he gently shoved Richie away from him. He ducked his head down to look at the fanny pack, toying with it in an attempt to hide his quickly reddening face.

Richie smiled widely. “Cute, cute, cute!” He repeated.

“Shut up and help me put this on,” Eddie sighed in an attempt to change the subject. He held the fanny pack out to Richie as the other boy stepped closer. “I can’t buckle it with only one arm.”

“Your wish is my command good sire!” Richie crowed, bringing a hand up to his forehead to give Eddie a two fingered salute. “Quickly! Turn! So I may have the greatest honor of bestowing this upon you!”

Eddie rolled his eyes and huffed at Richie’s antics, but turned around nonetheless so the taller boy could easily wrap the fanny pack around his middle. “You know,” Eddie started as he stared at the blank wall in front of him. “I hate to admit it, but your voices are getting pretty good Trashmouth.”

Eddie couldn’t see it, but Richie beamed from behind him.

———————

“—CROPENIS! Big Red did that one,” Richie shouted obnoxiously over the music that wasn’t even _that_ loud. It was New Years Eve and the Loser’s were reunited again— this time in Bill and Richie’s shared dorm. The small space seemed even smaller with 7 people crowded inside, but no one seemed to mind.

Bill’s eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw the picture on the phone Mike handed to him. “Th-That’s Jackson’s car?” He swiped through the pictures, each seemingly worse than the last, before passing the phone to Ben’s waiting hand.

“Bev did that?” Ben asked, squinting down at the phone.

“You bet your ass I did!” Beverly yelled from her spot on the bed next to Eddie. “So you better not piss me off Ben!”

Ben made a big show of gulping nervously that had the room erupting into laughter.

“You think that’s scary? Wait till you guys hear what _Stanley_ of all people wanted us to do!” Richie said. “Big Bill you better not break his heart or else he’s going to break in and set fire to our things.”

Stan scowled. “For the last time, I did _not…”_

Eddie rolled his eyes and tuned out Stan and Richie’s argument, having heard it already. He glanced at the redhead sitting on the bed next to him and smiled softly. “Thanks Bev.”

“Hm?” Beverly turned at the sound of her name and stared at Eddie quizzically. “What?”

“I said thanks. For, ya know, all that Jackson business.”

The redhead smiled. “No need to thank me. What are friends for if not for extracting revenge on abusive ex-boyfriends? Besides, I had fun.”

Eddie let out a small breath of laughter. “Of course you did.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the only one who was having a grand ole’ time,” she said once their laughter had died down. “You should have seen Richie. He turned into a complete madman smashing the windows and keying the car. I’m surprised no one saw or heard us with how loud he was being.”

“How _did _you guys manage to do all that?”

She shrugged. “We went really late at night. Or early morning I guess. Either way, people were sleeping.”

Before Eddie could respond, a frantic shout caught their attention and both Beverly and Eddie turned to see Richie simultaneously try to get up off the floor and shove his arms into his jacket pocket.

“Fireworks!” Richie bellowed. “Eds, they’re setting off fireworks! Come on!” He motioned for the smaller boy to get up, accidentally hitting Mike in the face with the end of his jacket in the process, and clambered over his friends still sitting in a loose circle on the floor in an attempt to reach Eddie.

“Ow,” Mike grumbled, rubbing at his forehead. “You’d think he’s never seen fireworks before in his life.”

Bill shot him a compassionate look and grimaced. “H-He loves f-f-fireworks.”

“EDDIEEEEE,” Richie whined. “LET’S GO!”

“It’s almost midnight though,” Eddie argued as he snuggled even deeper into the bed, pulling the thick covers up. He absolutely did not want to leave the comfort and warmth of Richie’s bed.

“That’s exactly why we need to go out and see the fireworks!”

“But we’re supposed to be ringing in the new year with our friends,” Eddie tried again, looking around at the rest of the Losers desperately.

Beverly snorted and gently knocked his shoulder with her own. “Just go Eddie,” she said.

“Please,” Stan implored. “Or else he’ll never shut up.”

“COME ON EDDIE!” Richie yelled obnoxiously again. He grabbed Eddie’s good arm and started to pull.

Eddie groaned and kicked the covers off grumpily, ignoring Beverly’s indignant _hey! _when the blanket was ripped off of her in the process. “Oh my god, _fine,” _Eddie said. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the desk chair and shrugged it on the best he could before stomping towards the door, the sound of his friends’ laughter following him.

———————

_Wheeeewwww BOOM!_

The black night lit up in technicolor as firework after firework burst in the dark sky. Eddie watched, entranced, as green, purple, and orange sparks exploded brightly in the air before fizzling to nothing. Despite his initial protests, Eddie was glad to have come out— even if it was deathly cold out.

“It’s so pretty,” Eddie breathed, eyes fixated firmly on the sky.

“Yeah,” Richie agreed softly as he stared at Eddie’s side profile. “Pretty.”

Eddie turned to meet the taller boy’s gaze, one brow arched in amusement. “That was so cheesy. What are you? A fucking Disney prince?”

Richie blushed, not expecting to be caught. “If you want me to be,” he said.

“Shut up and look at the fireworks,” Eddie responded as he turned back towards the sky. “You’re the one who begged me to come out and see them.”

It was silent again save for the occasional _booms_ and _cracks _of the fireworks as both boys watched the spectacular array of color before them.

“You know Eds,” Richie began, breaking the silence. “It’s almost midnight. On New Years Eve.”

Eddie pinned Richie with a strange look. “I know. That’s why there are fireworks,” he said, nodding his head in the direction of the sky.

Richie groaned inwardly, unsure if Eddie was purposely acting dense or if he genuinely did not know what Richie was getting at. “I read that kissing someone on New Years brings a year of good luck in love.”

“Oh,” Eddie said stupidly, staring at Richie with wide eyes. “Oh, right.” He licked his lips unconsciously.

Richie couldn’t stop the smile that was starting to spread across his face. Eddie looked so caught off guard. “Yeah,” he said, scooting closer to the smaller boy on the bench. Dimly, he heard the sound of people counting down from across the park.

_10!_

_9!_

_8!_

Richie leaned forward until their faces were only a few centimeters apart. “Would you do me the honor of being my New Years kiss Eds?”

_7!_

_6!_

_5!_

_4!_

Eddie’s eyes flicked to Richie’s lips. “When are you going to stop calling me Eds?” He questioned softy, his hot breath fanning across the bespectacled boy’s face.

_3!_

_2!_

_1!_

“Maybe next year,” Richie breathed, equally as quiet, before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips firmly to Eddie’s.

Eddie gasped, bringing his good hand up to clutch at Richie’s windswept curls. He felt hot all over, the harsh and unforgiving chill no longer a problem, as he melted into the kiss. The vague sound of cheering in the distance brought him back to the present and Eddie leaned back slightly, only for Richie to lean forward again to rest their foreheads together.

“So,” Eddie said softly, staring into Richie’s eyes. “Think you’ll be lucky in love this year after that kiss?”

Richie reached for Eddie’s hand and gently fitted the smaller one through his own. “That depends,” he responded almost shyly. “Are we boyfriends now?”

Eddie bit his lips in an attempt to bite back the smile that was threatening to overtake his face. “Boyfriend,” Eddie repeated. “Sure. We can be boyfriends.”

“Then yes,” Richie beamed. “I _do_ think I’ll be lucky in love this year, Eds.”

Eddie drew his head back and fixed Richie with a pointed look. “You said you would stop calling me that.”

Richie shrugged and smiled slyly. “I said, and I quote, _maybe next year._ But I said that at midnight, so technically, _Eds,_ I have a whole ‘nother year to call you all my favorite nicknames! Happy New Year Spaghetti!”

“Oh my god,” Eddie groaned with no real heat. He rolled his eyes heavenward and blew out a breath before turning his gaze back to Richie who was staring at him in adoration. The beginnings of a smile started to creep its way onto Eddie’s face and he shook his head and scoffed. “And another year of me yelling at you to cut the crap…” His smile grew wider as he gently squeezed Richie’s hand that was still in his own. “Guess I wouldn’t have it any other way. Happy New Year you absolute dickhead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that it's March and I am writing about New Years. I meant to finish this story before the start of 2020 and I actually cannot believe I am still working on this 5 months later. Oops.


	22. Epilogue

Richie was crouched behind the shelf as he peered through a stack of books at the front counter. He was at the library again, but was unwilling to show himself in case Stan was lurking around somewhere. The other boy had been an unfortunate victim in Richie and Bill’s sudden and on-going prank battle and now, Stan was on the warpath. Richie absolutely did not want to run into him.

“Looking for someone?”

Instinctively, Richie ducked down in an attempt to hide himself despite the fact that the voice had come from behind him. He hit his head hard on the shelf in front of him in his haste to get down. “Fuck,” Richie spit vehemently, rubbing at his forehead and turning around. “You scared me. I thought you were Stan. How did you see me?”

Eddie, in all of his 5’9 glory, stood behind him with his arms crossed over his sweater as he stared down at Richie in amusement. “Everybody can see you Rich. This isn’t a very good hiding spot. Why are you hiding from Stan?”

Richie scowled and straightened up to his full height. “Who said I was hiding?”

Eddie snorted. “What are you doing here then if not hiding?”

Richie reached for the first book he could lay his hands on. “I needed this,” he said clutching it to his chest. “Been wanting to read it for a while.”

“You wanted to read a book about lady orgasms?”

“I—” Richie looked down at the book he was holding to see that it indeed was about lady orgasms. “Fuck.” He scrunched his face up in disgust and set the book back on the shelf.

Eddie smiled. “Careful Rich. Your gay is showing.”

In response, Richie closed the small gap between them and wrapped his arms around Eddie, briefly laying his chin on the top of his head before leaning back to press a small kiss to the smaller boy’s forehead.

“Gay for you only, Eddie my love.”

Eddie pushed at Richie’s chest in an attempt to get the other boy to unwind his arms from Eddie’s middle. “Shut up, Richie. You’re such a dick.”

“But you _like_ this dick.”

“Shut _up, _oh my god. We’re in a fucking library,” Eddie hissed, glancing around them.

“You want to fuck in the library? That’s pretty kinky Eds, but who am I to deny your req— Ow!” Richie rubbed at his arm where Eddie had hit him. “You know, for someone so small, you’re really fucking strong.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and grabbed Richie’s hand, dragging him to the front counter.

“Wait,” Richie squeaked as he tried to pull his hand away from Eddie’s strong grip. “Is Stan here?”

Eddie turned his head to look at the taller boy in confusion. “No, why?” His eyes narrowed at the look on Richie’s face. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Richie said defensively. “I’m just, uh, wondering who’s going to be covering the rest of your shift. We have a movie to catch you know.”

Eddie stared at him for a moment longer. “I know you’re lying, but I really don’t want to know, so I’m just going to let it go.”

“I’m not!”

“Uh-huh,” Eddie hummed noncommittally as he started to gather his things from behind the counter. “Bill’s covering.” He glanced at the clock. “He should be here any minute now.”

Richie looked up from where he had been scratching something into the counter with a thumbtack. “Wait, what? Bill never told me he worked here.”

Eddie frowned and gently took the thumbtack away, putting it back into the little bowl behind the counter. “He just started. Jackson quit and Ms. Fieldings needed a replacement.” He swatted at Richie’s hand as the taller boy snaked his arm over the counter to try and grab another thumbtack. “Stop trying to vandalize school property.”

“R-R-Richie’s vandalizing s-school pr-pr-property?” A familiar voice asked. “That’s n-not surprising.”

Both Richie and Eddie turned to the sound of the voice.

“Hey Bill,” Eddie greeted.

“Hey E-Eddie. Rich. You c-clocking out now?” Bill asked as he went around the counter and set his stuff down, shrugging out of his jacket and unwrapping his scarf from around his neck.

Eddie tapped on a few keys and clicked around the screen before straightening up and turning to Bill. “Just did. Where’s Stan?”

Richie whipped his head up from where he had been scratching at the counter again to look at Eddie with wide eyes. “What?” He asked, barely concealing his panic. “I thought you said Stan wasn’t working.”

“I’m not,” a new voice responded. “I’m just here to keep Bill company.”

“Stan! My man!” Richie bellowed, turning around to grin sheepishly at the other boy. “Hi!”

“Stan…” Eddie started slowly. “What the fuck happened to your hair?”

The taller boy glanced up and tugged at one of his curls. “Richie happened to my hair,” he deadpanned, not looking pleased. He threw a withering look at the bespectacled boy.

Eddie’s eyes bulged. “_Richie_ did that?” He glanced at Richie incredulously before turning back to stare at Stan’s bright red hair. “_How?”_

“He p-put dye in my sh-sh-shampoo,” Bill tried to explain through a laugh.

“Yeah,” Stan continued, looking like he was only a few seconds away from throttling Richie. “And I used it.”

“How was I supposed to know!” Richie yelled. “It’s not my fault you decided to use our shower after having sex!”

Stan’s cheeks turned a bright red, the color clashing terribly with his equally bright hair, and he glared daggers at Richie. “Richie, I swear to god if you don’t _shut up—”_

“Seriously man,” Richie continued, carving into the wood with his thumbtack again and ignoring the warning look both Bill and Eddie were giving him, “If you had just kept Stan Jr. in your pants, none of this would have happened. So, if you think about it, it’s actually _your_ fault.”

Bill brought a hand up to his face and shook his head, trying to hide both his amusement and horror at Richie’s stupidity. “Beep beep, R-Richie.”

Richie finally looked up at that, blanching when he noticed the murderous look Stan was throwing his way.

“Trashmouth, if you don’t get out of my sight in the next ten seconds I will actually get you back worse than you got me. Do not test me.” He took a step forward as Richie dropped the thumbtack and took a step back. “And _stop_ carving dicks into our counter.”

“Actually, I’m not carving dicks,” Richie argued matter of factly.

Stan took a threatening step forward and Richie yelped, grasping blindly for Eddie’s hand as he started to quickly pull the smaller boy in the direction of the exit. “Okay, okay!” He bellowed. “I’m leaving!”

“Watch your back, Richie!” Stan yelled after him. “I’ll get you back! And you better fucking pay to fix my hair!”

Bill let out a loud laugh as Richie threw Stan one last look before dragging a harried Eddie out the doors. “En-enjoy your movie!” Bill yelled cheerfully just as the door swung shut behind them. He turned to look at Stan and let out another laugh when he noticed the scowl Stan had painted across his face.

“C-Come on,” Bill started. “It’s n-not _th-that_ bad.” He walked up to Stan and ruffled his hair.

If possible, Stan’s frown deepened. “He lied.”

Bill’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What?”

Stan glanced at the slightly shorter boy out of the corner of his eye before turning back to look down at the counter. “He _was_ drawing dicks.”

Another small giggle bubbled out of Bill at Stan’s put-out tone and he stepped closer to try and get a better look at the vandalized counter. “Hey,” he said, pointing to a spot on the wooden counter. “Th-that’s k-k-kind of sweet.”

Stan’s lips set in a straight line. “It’s not. I’m going to get Ms. Fieldings to fine him for destroying school property.

Bill gently knocked Stan’s shoulder with his own. “Don’t b-be such a G-Gr-Grinch.”

“It’s February, Bill.”

Bill rolled his eyes and started to push Stan in the direction of the cart at the end of the counter. “C-Come on,” he started. “If it’ll m-muh-make you f-feel better, I’ll help you c-come up with a p-pl-plan to get R-Richie back. We c-can try to get E-Ed-Eddie in on it too.”

That brought a small smile out of Stan. “Maybe.” He picked up a book from the cart and turned to Bill with a slight smirk. “Why did you bring me over here? Are you planning on dropping a stack of books on me again?”

Bill’s cheeks tinged pink. “I d-don’t f-f-feel like helping you any-m-m-more.”

Stan threw his head back and laughed, reaching for the cart and rolling it in the direction of the shelves. “I’m only joking, Bill,” he said with a small smile, thinking back to the day they had first met. “Come on. I’ll help you shelve these. The faster we get this done, the faster we can think of ways to get Richie back.”

———————

_LOSER’S CLUB_

(11:09pm) Stan: _Stan sent an image to the group._

(11:09pm) billiam: _billiam laughed at an image._

(11:09pm) BIG RED: oh my god

(11:09pm) benothy: Is that?

(11:09pm) Stan: It is.

(11:10pm) Eddie: _Eddie laughed at an image._

(11:10pm) MikenIke: _MikenIke disliked an image._

(11:10pm) MikenIke: I did NOT want to see an image of Richie’s bare ass running down the hall.

(11:10pm) MikenIke: I hate this groupchat.

(11:10pm) MikenIke: I’m going to sleep.

(11:10pm) BIG RED: oh my god

(11:10pm) BIG RED: i have so many questions

(11:12pm) Trashmouth: IM GOING TO FUCKING KILL U GUYS

(11:12pm) Trashmouth: GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKING CLOTHES

(11:13pm) Stan: No.

(11:13pm) billiam: that’s what you get for trying to dye my hair red

(11:13pm) Stan: And that’s what you get for actually dying my hair red.

(11:13pm) BIG RED: WHAT

(11:13pm) BIG RED: i still have so many questions

(11:14pm) benothy: I’m just as confused as you are bev

(11:14pm) Stan: _Stan sent an image to the group._

(11:14pm) Stan:_ Stan sent an image to the group._

(11:15pm) Stan: _Stan sent a video to the group._

(11:15pm) Eddie:_ Eddie liked a video._

(11:15pm) Trashmouth: sTOP

(11:15pm) Trashmouth: EDS I FEEL SO BETRAYED

(11:15pm) benothy: I wish I had never pressed play on that video

(11:15pm) Trashmouth: U SHOULD FEEL HONORED 2 HAVE SEEN RICHIE JR

(11:15pm) Eddie: honored? ben’s going to have to bleach his eyes now

(11:15pm) Trashmouth: i fucking h8 ALL of u

(11:15pm) Trashmouth: u most of all eds >;(

(11:16pm) BIG RED: im actually crying right now

(11:16pm) BIG RED: currently saving all of these on to my phone

(11:17pm) Trashmouth: FUCK u guys

(11:17pm) Trashmouth: ill remember this

(11:18pm) Eddie: love you chee

(11:18pm) Trashmouth: no.

(11:18pm) Trashmouth: fuck

(11:18pm) Trashmouth: …

(11:18pm) Trashmouth: luv u 2 eds :I

(11:19pm) Stan: _Stan sent an image to the group._

(11:20pm) Trashmouth: gOD FUCKING DAMMIT

(11:20pm) BIG RED: this gc is the best thing to have ever happened to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you couldn't tell, the thing Bill pointed to on the counter and called sweet was the R+E Richie had carved in to it.
> 
> FINALLY. THE END. Jesus Christ this story ran the FUCK away from me. I'm kind of sad that it's over, but mostly I'm happy because this turned into such a mess. And yes, this epilogue is a chaotic MESS too, but I don't care anymore bc finally this story is complete!!! I honestly thought of giving up halfway through, but I'm glad I didn't because it's kind of satisfying to see that 22/22. I apologize if this didn't end the way you were expecting it to kdjfd. I was not planning on ending it this way either, but alas, here we are.
> 
> Thank you so much again for reading! <3 MWAH xxoo


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